


Proper Care/ Remus Lupin

by Melonheadedboy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fluff, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Magic, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Romance, sfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27047440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melonheadedboy/pseuds/Melonheadedboy
Summary: For the first time in his life, Remus J. Lupin can't seem to get into a good book.Why?Because everytime his eyes go down to the pages, he finds himself glancing right back up to the cute Hufflepuff girl at the other table.
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. helpfull hufflepuff

When thinking of Venus Legna, it was hard to think of anything less than a pink fluffy bunny.

While Venus hated stereotypes, she couldn't help but fall right into the Helpful Hufflepuff stereotype. If Venus wasn't spending her free time helping teachers plan lessons, or younger students practice spells, she was in the library, studying about all the animals she wanted to help once she got the chance.

Her dad and mum were wizards, but they split up, and now Venus, Hanna, Mike and Seb spent every summer with their mum and step dad, Graham.

Hanna was the type of Gryffindor that hung out with boys all the time. She was going into her seventh year, and was undoubtedly the hottest girl in her year.

Mike was the Ravenclaw quidditch team. He was the best Keeper they had had in years. He was only a year older than Venus, going into his fifth year.

Sebastian was only ten, so he wasn't in Hogwarts yet, but all he talked about was quidditch and getting into Hufflepuff. He always adored his sisters great attitude.

Graham was a muggle, one who wasn't very open minded about anything magical. Ana, their mum, fell madly in love very quickly. So quickly, that if Graham wasn't a muggle, Venus would have thought he put her under a love potion.

Every year, their father, Charles, would take the three kids to Diagon Alley to shop for their school supplies. Over the years, the two older kids learned it was better to shop on their own, as Venus spent half the trip helping store owners when they were short handed. It warmed Venus's heart to see the look on someone's face when she offered them help.

"Come on, sweetie." Her dad had to drag her out of the pet store before she offered to clean all of their cages.

"I know it annoys you when I take so much time in the stores, but you should see their faces, dad. They're so grateful." Fourteen year old Venus kicked a pebble with her green shoes.

"I'm not annoyed. I just wish you wouldn't do it for free I mean, this book alone costs two galleons." CHharles laughed, tossing the book back in the cauldron.

Venus loved being in groups of people. Watching everyone push past each other in search of the right store. Every one there had their own life story. A new experience everyday that Venus would never know about.

It was fun to think about, but she had to go get the rest of her materials, leaving her thoughts behind her.

Charles had promised to give the children ice cream after they finished shopping, and Venus made sure to get an extra chocolaty one for Sebastian.

Hanna and Mike came into Venus's room and held out a box for her, with giddy smiles on their faces.

"What's this?" She asked them, putting her how to care for a fwooper book away.

"Its a present. For you. To open." Mike said stupidly. Hanna slapped his arm and handed Venus the beautifully decorated box.

Venus giggled and tore the lid off of the box. She gasped at the small creature that popped out.

"Its a Grigglypuff! They look like cats but are so much better!" Venus said letting the Grigglypuff step out of its box. She had three books on how to care for them, and they don't like new people touching them.

"So what are you going to name it?" Mike asked, readjusting his glasses.

"Well, Grigglypuffs main use are for sniffing out the use of dark magic. Maybe Aurora. Like she's an Auror."

"Cute. Well I'm glad you like her. She was a hassle trying to get out of the store. Scratched me up to bloody peices she did." Mike shook his head.

As Venus's siblings left, Aurora looked at the door to where the people just left and hissed. Unlike their cute exterior, Grigglypuff's were vicious.

Venus pulled out her old book on Grigglypuff's and read it again while Aurora tore her old teddy bear to pieces.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Her mom asked her as all of her children, except Seb, were gathering their luggage for Hogwarts.

"Mum, if I forget to pack another pair of socks, I'm sure you can owl them to me." Mike tried to push his mum away from his trunk.

"I know, I know. But I worry. Venus, did you pack some extra... you knows?" Her mum asked, failing to be discreet.

"Mum. Please shut up." Venus whisper-yelled at the clueless lady. When Ana finally let all her kids be done packing, she apparated to the train station with all of them in tow.

"I love you all. And please watch your sister. She is still so young!" Ana called out to them, making other students snicker. Venus quickly waved goodbye and jumped into the train to avoid more embarrassment.

She found an empty compartment next to the bathroom that she found cozy. Lots of people passed her compartment on the way to the bathroom, and she liked watching all the familiar faces.

When the doors shut, she let Aurora come out of her carry bag and explore the new surroundings. Venus just hoped that none of the teachers find out that Aurora is not a cat.

"Excuse me." Someone said to Venus, making her turn her head up in surprise.

Lily Evans stood by her compartment door with a greasy looking boy beside her. "Can we sit? Everywhere else is full."

"Of course. Watch out for my... cat. She can be quite mean." Venus added to the pair as they sat in the seat opposite of Venus.

"I'm Lily Evans and this is my friend Severus Snape." The red headed girl introduced, though Venus already knew who she was. When she mentioned the boy next to her, Venus saw as Aurora stared deeply at the boy, eyes changing from her natural green to a reddish hue.

Aurora jumped onto the boy, clawing at his face while Venus tried desperately to pull her off of him as he screamed looking at the killer cat. Venus quickly shoved the devil back into her carrier and apologized before looking for another compartment. Lily was right, none of them were empty.

Knowing she only had another hour to go before she reached Hogwarts, Venus stumbled into the first compartment she saw.

"Can I sit here until we get to Hogwarts? The last people had some issues with my cat." Venus asked the three boys that were occupying the compartment.

The black headed boy in the corner nodded, while the other two were laying peacefully on top of each other.

"Thanks. I'm Venus Legna." The girl introduced herself, setting the cat carrier onto the empty seat.

"I'm James Potter. Are you a fourth year too"

"Yeah. I'm a hufflepuff." Venus said, which James seemed to like.

"So are you a clichè nice hufflepuff, or a clichè im-tough hufflepuff?" James asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Definitely the first one. So what's the deal with these guys?" She gestured to the two guys on the other bench cuddling.

"That's Remus on top. He's really smart and way too kind to be in our group, but he grew on us. And the one he is cuddling is Peter. He's very shy."  
Venus let out a laugh as Peter stuck a thumb into his mouth.

"Can you watch my cat, Aurora, while I go change into my robes?" When he nodded she added, "don't take her out of her carrier unless you want to get viciously attacked. "

Coming back from the bathroom, Venus made sure to hide her face walking by her old compartment. As she stumbled into her new compartment, the first thing she noticed was the empty cat bag lying in the corner.

"Holy Merlins beard on a popsicle stick." Venus stared wide eyes at the scene in front of her. Aurora was on James' lap, purring as he scratched behind her ears, while the other two boys hiding on the other side of the compartment.

"Holy Smokes! How did you get her to be so calm?" Venus asked James.

"I didn't do anything. I just opened her container and she attacked Remus and Peter. When I went to pick her up she calmed straight down." He explained, rubbing Aurora's stomach.

When Venus walked over to pick up Aurora, but was clawed at as soon as Venus touched her.

"What in Merlin's name happened while I was gone." A semi-familiar name sounded behind her. Finally, Venus realized who's compartment she was in.

The Marauders. She hasn't realized until the iconic Sirius Black walked in, but once he did she recognized all the other members.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was in your guy's compartment. I'll take Aurora and get out of your hair."

"Bark."

Everybody's head turned to the small 'cat' in Venus's arms. It wiggled itself out of her clutch and strutted back over to James. Venus was internally face palming. How could she forget? Grigglypuff's mimic the sound of other animals.

"Did it..." Peter started.

"Bark?" James finished.

"I think it did, lads." Remus answered, all heads turning to the cat's owner, who just stood very still.

Venus took a deep breath before picking up the young grigglypuff, despite its biting and clawing, and walking calmly out of the compartment in search for a new one.

Every year her best friend Rosie sits alone in the far back compartment and asks everyone not to disturb her. She says she need some alone time before she has to spend the whole year with imbeciles.

Her other friend Thea, lives in Hogsmeade, so she doesn't ride the train to Hogwarts.

"Come on, Aurora. Please don't get us kicked out of another compartment. " Venus groaned.

"Thanks Merlin's sweet buttocks." Venus sighed in relief as she saw Rosie once the train boarded and everyone exited.

"I'm guessing the ride was less than okay?" She laughed, giving her friend a hand into the nearest empty carriage.

"Oh it was horrid. Aurora decided to attack the first person I shared a compartment with, and then she totally gave her secret away when we had to share a compartment with the bloody marauders!" 

"Wait. The Marauders? The hottest boys in school?" Rosie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Which one do you fancy?"

"Oh please. As if I had any time to even consider that question before Aurora attacked and barked." Venus rubbed her temples trying to push away the headache that was forming in her head.

Rosie deadpanned. "Your cat... barked?"

"Shoot, did I not tell you that Aurora was a grigglypuff in the letter?" When Rosie shook her head no, Venus sighed and tried her best to explain what a grigglypuff was.

Her fourth year had started off in the worst way possible, and the only thing Venus was looking forward to now was meeting up with Thea at dinner.

"T sent me a letter a few days ago saying she had a surprise for us." Rosie told the girl as they walked into the great hall.

"Hmm. Wonder what it is." Venus replied, but stopped as she saw her other best friend, Thea, at the Hufflepuff table.

"Oh.. my.. grigglypuff."

"Hey guys. Notice anything different?" Thea asked the two girls.

"Since when in hell did you get boobs?" Rosie asked the small hufflepuff.

"That's what you're worried about, Rosie? What in Merlins shoe did you do to your hair?" Venus asked in shock.

Last year, Thea was known as the Lily Evans of Hufflepuff. Best grades in the house, always focused on work, and never one to go breaking rules. The last time Venus had seen her, her hair was a brown straight bob. Not even three months later, Thea let's her hair grow out and dyes it some faded blonde.

Venus also notices the change in product on her friends face. She never was a makeup person before this year.

"Well I have to go to Slytherin table. Merlin kill me now." Rosie said dramatically and placed her butt as far away from Avery and Mulciber as she could get.

Venus took this time to analyze her friends new qualities. She had a piercing in her left and right ear, which wouldn't be as bad if Venus didn't know that Thea's mother was against piercings. She also saw the outline of a hickey on her friends neck.

"That's it, T. Why do you look like a biker chick magazine threw up on you." Venus bit her lip hoping Thea wouldn't take offence to her comment.

"I know it's a little much, Vee. But I don't want to spend the rest of Hogwarts known as a book-geek." She answered semi-honestly, not wanting her best friend to know of the person she was hoping to impress this year.

"Are you sure? I just don't want you to change too much of yourself and end up losing the best part of you." Venus grabbed her friends hand across the table, whom offered her friend a warm smile before turning to the headmaster at the front table.

"I want to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mr. Gillespie," most of the school rolled their eyes at this, "and welcome back all our other professors."

The speech drowned on and on and Venus was getting anxious to dig into some of Hogwarts famous mashed potatoes and gravy.

"The feast may now begin." Venus almost squealed when all the food appeared in front of her. She rushed to the potatoes and gravy before someone took it all, as it always happened every year. She stuffed corn and peas onto her plate to balance out the unhealthiness.

"How can you live your life without meat. It's so delicious." Thea moaned into her half eaten chicken leg. Venus' face scrunched in disgust.

"I'm sure it is, T, but it's not worth the death of an innocent chicken that was only trying to feed it's chicklets." Thea rolled her eyes as Venus started telling the same old story she told every time one of her friends mentioned her Vegetarian ways.

Thea made eye contact with her crush across the room and tried to hide her blush as they waved to her. By the time she recovered, Venus had finished her story.

"And that's why I never eat meat anymore."

"Fascinating."

After dinner, they said goodnight to Rosie as the two girls went to the hufflepuff common room.

"Oh how I've missed you, Common Room." Thea got down on her hands and knees to kiss the carpet.

"T, the first years are staring."

"Let them stare, I'm quite beautiful." She laughed still kissing the carpet, but quickly got up as she spit out a piece of hair that wasn't hers. Venus pulled the grouchy girl up the stairs into the dorm they shared with one other girl.

"Aurora doesn't like many people does she?" Thea asked Venus as she let the menace out of her bag. the creature stretched its legs out and plopped down on the window sill.

"Its not that. Grigglypuff's are supposed to protect their owner at all costs. Once she warmed up to me a bit, she hasn't let anyone near me without a thorough check that they were safe. You should have seen her on the train, though." She let out a laugh, remembering when the fur ball had chosen James over her on the train.

At her friends confused looks, she explained,"On the train, Aurora chose James Potter and tried to claw me when I tried to take her away."

"Hold on. The James Potter? One fourth of the Marauders? Best friends of Sirius, Remus and Peter?" Thea's eyes lit up. Venus nodded and Thea took a gasp of excitement.

"I can't believe my best friend talked to James Potter. Was his jaw sharp enough to slice meat? Was Sirius' hair more majestic than a centaur's? Was Remus' scars even sexier up close? Is Peter even dorkier than imagined?"

"Merlin's beard, T. You're more obsessed with them than that girl that got a Sirius tattoo. And yes to all of those. Remus and Peter were cuddling, too.'' Venus gossiped to her friend as she squealed in her bed.

"Shut up, you bloody figs. Go to bed before I stick a a dungbomb down your throat." Their roommate, Clare yelled at the two giddy girls who quieted down immediately.

The girls whispered their goodnights and went to bed, dreaming of the feast and future classes.


	2. giggling gryffindors

Venus tried to sneak into the showers in the early morning without waking up her sleeping bed mates, but Clare was always the lightest sleeper of the bunch.

"Every year I tell myself that it's gonna be different this year. 'Dont worry, Clare. Venus is gonna grow up and stop waking up at 5:00 am.' Yet every year I am wrong." Venus shot the brunette a sorry smile as she could hear the drowsiness in her voice.

"One day you will thank me for bestowing a good habit into your mind." Vee tried to reason with the brown eyed girl that lay in the cleanest side of the room.

"No, one day you will thank me for not shaving off all of your hair in the middle of the night like I've contemplated doing... a thousand times... in the last three days." Venus only shot the angry girl a smile knowing that she was only being dramatic.

As much as Clare liked to say she wasn't friends with Thea and Venus, the two girls could see the love in her eyes when they first saw each other after each summer break.

Thea tried to invite Clare over last summer, but quickly learned that the address she was given was a fake. Whenever questioned, Clare would always answer with the same answer.

"I spend ten out of twelve months listening to you guys toss and turn in your sleep. Why would I succumb myself to anymore of that torture?"

After Venus was clean and dressed, she glanced at the clock that hung on the wall that read 5:45. Clare had fallen back asleep, and Thea's snores echoed through the small room.

She silently picked up her school bag and tip toed to the common room. Her mornings are usually spent doing homework or reading books by Mr. Scamander, Vee's idol.

She sits in one of the plenty of open desks by the window and let the warmth coat her skin as the sun came up. She had her Transfiguration book in front of her while she skimmed over a few of the pages from last year. Venus liked the serenity that came with being up this early, but it did get quite lonely.

She loved who she was and wouldn't ever want to change herself, but sometimes she wished she had some friends that didn't think she was abnormal doing her usual habits.

Aurora jumped into her lap and moo'd as she laid her head on Venus' thigh. She let out a giggle and wondered how she would make it through the school year if her cat made cow noises.

Though she was sure Dumbledore already knew about it. He always seemed to just know everything, but never telling anybody he knew. Venus hoped that when she was old, she could freak people out with her weirdness, too.

At around 6:30, Auroras head snapped up from Vee's lap and ran towards the windowsill to hide as more people came barreling down the stairs to get to breakfast. None of them blinked an eye at Venus, as they all knew how she tended to be up in the wee hours of the morning. She met up with Rosie that morning as Thea was no where to be found, and made their way to the Great Hall to get some food.

"I love eating at the Hufflepuff table because everyone is actually polite and they don't push you out of the way to get to the food. I hate Slytherins." Rosie said, the milk from her cereal dripping down her chin.

Venus pulled a face at the sight. " Rose, you're a slytherin."

"That should tell you how bad they are." They shared a laugh and continued to joke around until Thea finally walked through the front doors.

"Where have you been, you almost missed breakfast." Venus questioned, sounding very much like the mother of the group. Everyone knew she was but nobody wanted to say it out loud.

"I just went for a quick lap around the school to clear my thoughts. No big deal, I'm fine Vee. Can you pass me the bacon?"

"I most certainly will not pass you the chopped up piglet carcass until you promise me that you are okay." Rosie doesn't know how to act in any type of serious interaction, so she just slurped the milk from her bowl until her two friends stared at her in annoyance.

She took a gulp and innocently said, "I'm thirsty." While wiping her mouth. The other two girls turned their attention back towards each other and Thea promised she was okay. She munched happily on her bacon while Venus tried to swallow her gag.

"I mean the cat barked! Am I the only one freaking out about that?" Peter said in a hushed tone. All three of his friends groaned as they heard him freak out about the damn cat for the seventh time since last night.

"If it freaks you out that much, just go up to her and ask her about it, Pete." Sirius pointed to where the Hufflepuff girl was cringing at the smell of bacon. The boys turned their heads to the table for a moment before Peter exclaimed. "I can't just go up and ask, what if she thinks I'm a freak?"

"Easy, take Remus." The said boy just gave Sirius an annoyed look. "Nobody can make fun of Remus, he's just too darn cute!" Sirius pinched his cheeks making Remus swat his hands away.

"How come we've never noticed her before? She's sitting with Thea and Rosie Cole, we know them. But I had no idea she existed until yesterday." James said, wondering how all four boys had simply overlooked her.

"What do you mean, that's Venus." Remus said, but was met with three blank stares. "Venus Legna." He continued, causing an uproar between James and Sirius.

"That's Hannah's sister? Sirius has been fantasizing about her for three years." James said teasingly to his best friend. "I have not, I just find her extremely attractive and powerful. And unique." He finished with a light blush.

"I can't believe I didn't notice Hanna's little sister. Can I go with you Pete, maybe if I become friends with the sister, it'll multiply my chances." He said smugly, but was quickly shot down by Remus.

"Sirius, anything multiplied by your 0 percent chance is still 0." He said innocently, taking a bite from an egg he had on his plate. He ignored the obscene gesture his friend gave him as Sirius straightened his robes and walked, no, strutted to the Hufflepuff table.

The three girls were still laughing when Sirius Black came and sat next to Rosie, and across from Venus and Thea. Rosie was visibly uncomfortable and scooted farther away from him as he just stared at them in silence. Finally he spoke.

"You have been the topic of discussion for me and my boys this morning, Venus." He said calmly, taking a sip from his pumpkin juice. Venus' eyes widened slightly and leaned over to look at the Gryffindor table. James was stuffing his face with pancakes, Peter was staring at Sirius with hopeful eyes, and Remus sat with his head in his hands out of embarrassment for his dear friend.

"May I ask why?" Vee asked hesitantly, not knowing if she really wanted to know what the four boys were talking about that brought her up in discussion. Sirius flipped his hair out of his eyes, and leaned over the table to get a little closer to her, causing her to lean farther back.

"I'm going back to the Slytherin table, Thea come with me." Rosie said abruptly as she grabbed Thea's hand and dragged her across the Great Hall, leaving Venus in an awkward encounter with Sirius Black. Suddenly, Sirius followed Rosie's action and grabbed Vee's hand causing her to let out a small squeal of surprise. He pulled her in the opposite direction of where Thea and Rosie had gone, and instead brought her to the Gryffindor table. She shot a worried glance at her sister, who in turn shot her a wink when she saw them 'holding' hands. 

He plopped her in the seat next to Remus and sat on the opposite side with Peter and James. Remus just gave her an apologetic look, while Peter looked very uncomfortable, but they were all staring at her, making her incredibly anxious. "May I ask what i'm doing here?" Her voice was small but they all heard.

"Peter is scared of your cat, and Sirius wants to make it with your sister." James said casually, causing the two boys in question to blush like mad while Venus looked confused.

"What does that mean? Make what?" She asked, genuinely confused. Remus quickly stepped in before one of the other boys could taint her mind.

"He means make a friendship, right Sirius?" Remus gave him a pointed look to go along with it. James was snickering in the corner, not bothering to look up from his plate. Sirius just nods while he elbows James in the ribs, causing him to choke up his juice.

"Oh, well my sister is very kind and would be a great friend, but I don't know why you would need me. And my cat isn't scary... she's just a little different." Venus tried to explain quickly so she could go back to her table. She didn't feel comfortable talking to the most popular guys at Hogwarts. 

"She barked." Peter tried to argue. "I don't know a lot about cats but i know they aren't supposed to do that."

"Peter, we are wizards with wands going to a school of magic and a cat making an unusual sound bothers you? My cat can be whoever she wants to be, even if who she wants to be is her inner dog." 

Peter just scratched the back of his head for a second before Remus spoke up. "I'm sorry we took you away from breakfast just for this silly conversation."

"Don't be ridiculous, Remus, no conversation is silly. Every interaction is important to us in one way or another." She gave the group a soft smile and quietly left their table.


	3. poisonous potions

In potions class the next day, Venus sat with Rosie as Professor Slughorn droned on about safety and how to protect themselves. He would say the same speech every year at the beginning of each semester, and it got old really fast. She closed her eyes and listened to the soft breathing coming from her friend, breathed in the heavenly scent of apples that came from her perfume.

"Does anybody have any questions?" Professor Slughorn called out to his inattentive class, causing a few students to lift their heads, including Venus. Only one hand was raised, and it was a quiet Slytherin girl in he back row.

"Are we finally going to learn about amortentia this year, Professor?" A few of the girls in the class gave an excited glance, eager to know the answer as well. Professor Slughorn gave her a pointed look.

"Now Ms. Samson, that has nothing to do with what we discussed, but since you asked nicely, no, we will not be learning about that this year. Amortentia is a very powerful and advanced potion that will not be taught until next year."

A few groans were heard throughout the classroom, mostly from females. "I don't understand their fascination with the potion," Rosie whispered to her friend, " Unless they are planning to poison someone with it, It's just a smell-good potion."

Venus shrugged. "I guess some people might want to know if their love is true, if you sniff the potion and smell something different than what you thought was going to be there." She absently doodled a picture of Professor Slughorn in a dress at the bottom of her parchment.

"To start off this year we will be learning about the different type of poisons, and how we can create a quick antidote in a time of crisis. Please open your books."

"Venus, Venus! You'll never believe what I just saw!" Rosie exclaimed, causing Madam Pince to shush the loud Slytherin, but Rosie didn't care. Venus looked to the first year that she was tutoring and asked him to give her a minute.

"Is it important, I'm kind of busy?" Venus asked her dark haired friend while pointing to the small kid behind her.

"Is it Important? You know I would never get in the way of someones precious studying if it wasn't important." She said sarcastically. 

"Would you call Thea making out with a Prewett twin important?" Venus was a little taken aback. Thea had never so much as held hands with a boy the year before. And she always talked about boys in her year, never someone two years older than her.

"How has she changed so much in the months since we've seen her? She was acting just fine when she came over to my house this summer." Venus pointed out, a tone of worry in her voice.

"I like this new Thea, I've slowly convinced her to join the dark side." Rosie had an evil smirk on her face. "You're next, Vee." The girls left and Venus went back to join Lucas to help him with his potions essay. 

"I'm going to go grab you another book and I'll be right back." She said, giving Lucas a small smile, which made him blush a bit. Who can blame him, she was nice, attractive, and an older woman. She ran her finger along the spines of a few books before spotting a book before spotting one titled 'Potions: Year One' but it was a little high up. She stuck her hand up to try and get it down, but her fingers barely grazed the corner, and she left her wand in her dorm.

"Do you need any help, uh, with that?" Remus Lupin asked as he saw Venus struggling to reach her book. She gave him a nod, and he grabbed the book from the high shelf and read the cover. "First year? Seems a little advanced for you." He joked, causing Venus to let out a small chuckle.

"It's actually for Lucas, a kid i'm helping. He's having trouble in potions and I want him to be able to study on his own." She said, motioning to the first year boy who was currently slamming his head into the table repeatedly.

"That's very kind of you. Do you tutor other student often?" Remus asked, trying to make conversation. She gave a small shrug. "I guess so. I wouldn't call it tutoring though, but lots of students fourth year and below ask me for help occasionally. I even helped a fifth year once who was struggling with McGonagall in order to stay on the Quidditch team."

Remus chuckled with the girl, enjoying her company. "Well if you ever find yourself studying alone, I'm in the library 24/7. Have a good day, Venus." She bid him farewell and returned to his table where the rest of his friends sat.

"Where's your book, Moony?" Sirius pressed the scarred boy. "Oh, I guess I completely forgot about it." He felt a small blush rise to his cheeks at his forgetfulness.

"You were too busy flirting with Venus weren't you?" James questioned in a playful tone.

"Don't lie, we saw you. 'If you're ever studying alone'" Sirius made kissing noises, causing Remus to smack him in the face with a Charms book. "Oh, sod off, Siri. It's called being friendly. Something you know nothing about." Sirius stuck his tongue out at the werewolf boy causing him to roll his eyes at his childish friend.

When Lucas came up to Venus the next day, telling her how he got an almost perfect mark on his potions essay, she was ecstatic to see how proud of himself he was. She loved seeing the happy faces of people she helped, whether with cleaning, or studying, or just needing someone to talk to.

Venus was somebody everyone in Hufflepuff knew they could count on if they had an issue or they needed a friend.

When she walked into her dorm room during her free period, she was pleasantly surprised to see Clara laying on her bed. Clara usually hated spending time in the dorm when she wasn't going to bed. She was a real people person, always spending time outside hanging out with her own group of friends.

"Clara, what are you doing here?"

"It's my dorm room, too. I'm allowed to be here." She said casually, not looking up from the book that rested in her lap.

"Well, I know that, I just also know that Lily and Marlene are by the Black Lake, and you usually hang out with them during your free period." Venus said, like it was common knowledge.

"How did you know that?"

"I like sitting against the trees and watching people throw rocks into the water." Venus rolled onto her own bed and brought Aurora into her lap, making the animal purr in delight.

"I guess I wasn't feeling like hanging out with them today." Venus got the hint that something else was wrong, but she wasn't one to pry.

"Well Rosie, Thea, and I are heading outside to play a few games of exploding snaps, you're welcome to join us." Clara just shook her head. "I'll think about it, but I really want to finish my book right now."

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	4. stressed students

Venus waves goodbye to her friend, and made her way to meet with Rosie and Thea. When she saw them outside laughing at who knows what, a large smile appeared on her face.

"What are you guys laughing about?"

"Potter tried to ask Evan's out again, and she Stupefied him into the Black Lake!" Rosie laughed, tears in her eyes. Thea could barely catch a breath while holding her side in pain from laughing so hard.

Venus looked over to see Potter spit some water out of his mouth with an angry look on his face. Venus felt bad for the boy, but also knew that he had it coming.

"I'll be right back, I need to talk to Lily." Venus left her hysterical friends in pursuit of the fiery red headed girl.  
"Lily! I never got to apologize for the incident on the train. I had no idea Aurora would bug out on your friend like that. Is he okay?"

The girl in question turned around at the sound of her name. Her previous scowl falling slightly when she saw Venus. "Hi, Venus. Severus is okay mostly. He has a few scratches on his face and complains constantly, but I can tell he's exaggerating."

"That's good to hear. I'll make sure to apologize in person the next time I see him. I also came to ask you guys about Clara." At the mention of Clara, both girls got a sad look on their face.

"Is she okay?" Marlene asked from next to Lily.

"I don't know that's what I was going to ask you. Did something happen?" Venus was now worried about her roommate. As much as Clara tried to deny Venus' friendship, she would never stop caring about her.

"When we were in the great hall eating breakfast, a nasty Gryffindor boy made a mean comment about her... skin color." Lily said the last part in a whisper, like it was a bad word.  
Venus didn't know what to say. She knew she was innocent to plenty of things going on in the world, but she wasn't ignorant to the fact that some people held prejudice against people based on what they looked like or how pure their blood was.

Venus had felt anger before, but never like this. She always saw the good in people, but how could someone be so judgmental for no reason?

"Who was it?" She had never spoken in such a stern voice, it surprised Lily and Marlene.

"His name is Davey Gudgeon. He is the guy that got hit by the whomping willow in our first year. I can't believe he would do something like that. I feel awful for Clara, but she just shut us out." Lily explained. She wanted to do something. Yell at him, or tell a professor, but she wanted to talk to Clara first.

"The Hufflepuff password is Felicis, and our dorm is the second one on the right. She was there just a minute ago if you want to go see her."

"Thank you, Venus." Lily said with sincerity, placing a hand on her shoulder before the two girls went off in search for their third sister.

When Venus went back to Rosie and Thea, she felt sick at her stomach. The two girls had sobered up from their laughing fit, and now were just chatting away when Venus came up.

"What did you guys talk about?" Thea was the first to ask. Vee contemplated telling them, wondering if Clara would be mad at her for telling.

"I asked Lily to apologize to Severus since Aurora attacked him on the train." It wasn't a lie, but she knew she needed to talk to Clara.

"Hold up, she attacked Snivellus? Oh that's just classic! I wish I could have been there! Did he scream?" Rosie asked creepily.

"Yeesh, Ro, you sound creepy." Thea pointed out, stuffing a few grapes in her mouth that she had taken from the kitchens. How she figured out how to get in the kitchens, Venus didn't know, nor did she want to.

"I'm sorry, but that slime ball has been such a stuck up prat our whole Hogwarts career. I'm kinda glad he got clawed." She replied.

"Rosie, you should never wish harm on other people, no matter what they did to you." Venus told her raven haired best friend. She tried to keep those words in mind when thinking about that twit, Davey Gudgeon. She shook him from her head and decided to try and enjoy a bit of time with her two friends before classes started again.

When Remus walked into his dorm room to find a soaked James Potter complaining about Lily, again, he turned around on his heal and walked right back out. There was no way in hell he was going to sit through another long talk about Lily's gorgeous green eyes. Or how amazing her red hair shined in the mornings light.

He sat in from of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room and pulled out his DADA homework. He excelled in the class and always turned in his homework on time. He got really attacked to his teacher last year, but like always, something came up and they had to leave Hogwarts.

"Remus, please tell Sirius that he's being insensitive." James came down the steps with an unhappy look on his face. The scarred boy set down his quill and rubbed his face in frustration.

"I was not being insensitive! I was being honest. All you do is babble on about Lily this and Lily that. You didn't even notice the fact that I changed my hair. It's like I don't even exist." Sirius argued with a hand over his heart.

"Sirius, stop being so dramatic. Of course I still care about you! Trust me, when Lily and I get married, we will still be best friends. No lass could ever tear us apart."

"Oh, James. I can't stay mad at you!"  
"Bring it in, big guy." It was like watching a soap opera, listening to a few odd characters in the common room clap for them like it was scripted.

"Can you two shut up for two second, I'm doing homework." Remus complained. "I came down here to escape you guys."

James looked at Remus with such hurt in his eyes. "Remy, escape us? How could you say such a thing we are your best friends." Sirius just shakes his head in disapproval.

"Correct, but you guys are both overly dramatic and cannot be quiet for longer than a minute."

"We can too. We'll prove it to you."  
Remus returned to his homework, seeing Sirius leg start bouncing in the corner of his eye as he grew antsy. James began biting his finger nails.

"Oh whatever, who needs quiet anyway." James yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Me, so I'm going to the library. Nice and quiet and away from you two. See ya." The werewolf packed his things and made his way to the library so he could finish his essay. It wasn't due until next week, but his passion for the subject made him want to learn more.

When he arrived, he found Peter tucked away in a corner of the room, looking as if he was about to rip his hair out.

"What's up, Pete?"

"Oh my goodness, Remus. I'm going to die! School is going to kill me. Plan my funeral, tell the boys they're invited. Drinks are on me." He said, dramatically clutching his heart and falling limp in his chair.

"And to think I came here to get away from Sirius and James being dramatic." Remus said with a shrug. "What's the problem, Peter."

"Everything. I was doing homework for Professor Mcgonagall, but then I looked back and realized that my main point was completely wrong, meaning my whole essay was wrong! I tried to redo it and I was almost done but I spilled ink all over my essay, and couldn't clean it up because I didn't know the spell. Because if you didn't realize, I stink at charms, too!" Peter slammed his head on the table, wishing Remus would just put him out of his misery.

"Oh, man. Here, I'll clean up your essay." He pulled out his wand and muttered the spell to clean off his essay. Peter looked at Remus like he could kiss him.

"Thanks, Rem. Were not even taking our OWLs and I'm already so stressed out."

"Have you ever thought about getting a tutor?" Remus offered.

"Oh, please. Nobody here wants to talk to me. James is popular, Sirius is handsome, you're smart, and I'm just the dork. No one thinks I belong." He twiddled with his pudgy fingers sadly.

"We don't think that, Pete. You're a good friend and we enjoy having you around. We couldn't think of anyone better to be our fourth marauder." He said, meaning every word. "Have you asked Venus? She loves helping people out with homework."

"She's so pretty, I'll end up embarrassing myself." All he ever did was talk himself down, it made Remus sad to hear him talk about himself like that.

"I'll ask her for you later. I know she'll say yes."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate it, Remus." He opened up his book and set his essay out in front of him, occasionally answering a question Pete had about his own work.

"Venus!" The Hufflepuff girl turned around and was greeted by a shaggy haired Gryffindor boy.

"Oh, hey Remus." She replied, though she didn't sound like her normal, chipper self. She had spent all day thinking about Clara.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good. Wait that's not what I meant. What I meant is you look upset. You look good. Not in a weird way, I'm just saying that because i didn't want you to think i thought you looked bad. Because i didn't mean it like that. Okay, you got to stop me or I'll just keep going forever." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt. And to answer your question, I'm okay mostly. I just don't get how some people can be so rude to someone for no reason! How dare he say that to her. I mean there is nothing wrong with her, and its not like she had any control over it! Why can't people just love each other and not be so judgmental all the time." At the end she started talking to herself more than she was actually talking to Remus.

"Whoa, wait. What are you talking about?" Remus asked hesitantly. Truth be told, he had never seen Venus so upset about something. She always had a smile on her face and always had a bright attitude.

"I can't really say. I just wish people didn't judge people for things they can't control, you know?"  
He did know. He wished people thought that way about werewolves. He didn't ask to be that way, and he had no control over what happened. Yet, he knew people would still judge him and look at him differently.

"Anyway I'm sorry for ranting, I have a lot on my mind. What did you need, Remus?"

"Right, I was wondering if you could help my friend, Pete, in Transfiguration. He's been really stressed lately and I'm not that good in it myself."

"Is Pete the one that you were cuddling with on the train?" She pointed out, recalling the first say of school.

His ears turned a bright pink and his eyes grew a bit wide. "You saw that?"

"When I came in and gave James my cat. Don't be embarrassed, I thought it was just adorable. You were snoring and Peter had his thumb in his mouth." She laughed as his cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. 

"I'd love to help him out. Tell him to meet me in the Library tomorrow at five. And you're welcome to join us if you want."

He did want to, but tomorrow was the first day of the full moon, and he had been feeling its effects all week. "I'd love to, but, er, I've made prior arrangements. I'll see you around, Venus." He bid her a goodbye, and flushed a bit when she gave him a warm smile in return. He shook it off, must be the moon.


	5. homework helper

Venus had been helping Peter in Transfiguration for a little longer than two weeks now. Every once in a while she would help him with another subject, but Mcgonagall's class was where he struggled the most. After their first few sessions together, Peter began to warm up to her, no longer stuttering over every word, or feeling embarrassed because he didn't know the answer to something.

She was lovely to be around, and never made him feel stupid or worthless. She took time out of her day to help him, when she could be doing literally anything else. He was thankful for that.

More often than not, the pair would veer off the subject of school, and instead talk about pranks he and his friends have pulled, or what Venus and her family had done that summer. They had become friends, real friends.

Despite what he sometimes believed, Venus liked hanging with Peter. He was nice, and friendly. He didn't feel the need to impress her by being something he's not. She even found herself laughing at a few jokes he pushed out. He wanted to push his face in a wall when he accidently slipped a really terrible joke out, but her melodious laughter eased his worries, and found himself laughing with the girl.

Of course, most of their time together was spent in the library, but they always had a small conversation when they passed each other in the halls, leading to the Marauders poking fun at their mousey best friend.

"Since when did you and Legna become such good friends?" Sirius questioned the boy, when he saw Peter wave a quick hello to the girl across the hall. 

"We study together all the time, you know that." Peter replied, fixing his hair from when Sirius decided to mess with it earlier.

"Does our little Pete have a crush on a particular Hufflepuff girl?" James mocked.

"Not anymore. I mean I had a crush on her at first, but to be fair, I had a crush on any girl that wanted to talk to me. Venus is different though, shes a nice friend and I don't see her being anything else." Peter answered truthfully. Venus was more of a sister to him, and he knew she had no romantic feelings for him. They made great friends, but knew they'd be uncomfortable as a couple.

"Good, we can't have you stealing Remus' girl, now can we Rem?" James teased the boy, elbowing him slightly in the ribs.

"I told you lot, I don't like her. We're not even friends, we just know each other." He said, wishing they would drop the subject. To be honest, he did think Venus was attractive, but he would never tell the boys that. 

The four boys walked into the charms classroom, where Gryffindor shared a class with Hufflepuffs.

"Good morning, class." Came the voice of Professor Flitwick. He was struggling to climb up onto the stack of books he had set up in order to reach the podium. Venus, of course, gave him a hand up. Flitwick, now embarrassed, gave her a small thank you before she went back to her usual seat next to Thea. 

The class listened as their small Professor babbled on about a charm that makes the other person burst into a fit of giggles. Venus liked that idea. 

"We will be getting into pairs, and since I dont trust a few of you," He said, not so discreetly glancing at the four Gryffindor boys laughing in the corner. "I will be choosing your partners, a Hufflepuff with a Gryfindor." He waved his wand and names on the chalkboard behind him began appearing into pairs.

Venus scanned the chalkboard until she saw her name. Legna---Black.

She wasn't unhappy with her pair, she liked meeting new people. Of course, she had met him before, but they've never had a true conversation. 

As the Black boy pulled out the chair next to her and shot her what she took as a playful smirk, there was a loud outburst somewhere to the right of her. 

"I am not working with her." The crude voice of Davey Gudgeon spat. Venus turned around and saw Clare look at the floor uncomfortably, before looking back up to the teacher with her chin held high. Her face was stoic, not letting his rude words affect her on the outside. 

"I'll switch with her." Venus called out quickly, giving a small glare to the rude Gudgeon boy. Though coming from her, it wasn't that intimidating. Professor Flitwick gave a short nod, not really caring. Clare gave Venus a thankful nod and moved to sit next to Sirius. The pair exchanged a few pleasantries before getting to work on their assignment.

"Thanks for switching, I would have rather killed myself than to have worked with that bi-" His voice was cut off by Venus throwing a spell at him that definitely wasn't the tickling charm. He fell backwards, knocking into a few books that fell on his head. Professor Flitwick was to busy trying to keep Peter from accidentally destroying his classroom to notice. 

"Listen," she tried her best to sound stern even though she was sure she was failing. "Clare is my friend, and I don't appreciate you calling her hurtful names in front of me, or anyone else for that matter. She is the sweetest person I know and wouldn't harm a fly. For you to try and hate on her for no reason but because of her skin, is despicable." She said, not missing a beat. The only people to notice what was happening was Remus and Thea, who was working together behind Venus. They listened intently, not caring about the task at hand as their wands were now limp in their hands. 

"I feel truly sorry that you feel the need to pass whatever anger you carry onto someone else, but I hope one day you can wise up and learn that skin color, or blood does not define a person. I dislike you because of your attitude and hatred, not because of your skin." Venus' wand was still held high as the boy across from her slowly stood up, holding his head from wear a book hit it in the wrong spot.

He shot her a look before bumping her shoulder roughly and leaving the room. She made eye contact with Clare, and for the first time in four years, she was truly thankful to have a person like Venus there for her.

"Do you know why you're here, Ms. Legna?" Mcgonagall's calm voice spoke to the Hufflepuff girl across the table. Professor Sprout had a mishap with one of her plants, and was currently in the hospital wing, leaving the Gryffindor Head of House to deal with her discipline.

"Yes, Professor." She answered, head held high.

"Did you use a spell not permitted by the teacher against Mr. Gudgeon?"

"Yes, Professor." She replied again, not breaking eye contact with the fierce woman in front of her. Minerva sat back in her chair slightly before motioning towards a basket on her table.

"Have a biscuit, Legna." The girl was slightly confused, but took a biscuit nonetheless. Professor Mcgonagall asked Venus why she did it.

"Davey said some crude things to a friends of mine. I usually never think violence is the answer, but sometimes being peaceful doesn't get the word across like you think it will. I am sorry for what I did, but I'm not sorry why." Venus put her head down a bit at the end, no longer being able to hold the strong gaze of her Professor.

"Ms. Pesters came to me earlier and told me what Mr. Gudgeon did, and I assure you he will be rightfully punished. Although, you did still break the rules, so I will have to give you a detention this friday." 

Venus didnt look up from her feet when she replied. "I understand, Professor." She thanked her and quickly left the room. She wasn't angry she got detention, as she knew she did a bad thing and deserved it. Yet, she didn't regret it, not entirely. She wished she could have gotten her point across in a different way. But sometimes you have to knock someone upside the head in order to get them to listen.

"Venus in detention? I knew I'd get you to come to the dark side eventually." Rosie had an evil smirk on her face making Thea giggle a bit.

It's not that big of a deal, I reckon I deserved it." She shrugged, taking a bite of her pudding.

Thea wouldn't listen. "You didn't deserve shit, Vee. That arsehole is the one who deserves detention not you! How are you not angry?" 

"Davey does deserve detention, and according to Mcgonagall, he's going to get it, but I broke a rule. I know I did something I shouldn't have." 

"How are you so calm about this, this is your first ever detention?" Rosie chimed in after Thea.

"There's no need to dwell on it. I broke the rules, i got detention, end of story." It truly wasn't that bad to Venus. It was one detention with Professor Mcgonagall, where she would most likely sit in a quiet room reading. It sounded like a normal Friday night to her.

"What will your parents think?" 

"My dad used to brag about all the detentions he got during his time at Hogwarts. Mum will just scold me a bit and move on. Like you said, it's my first detention, and my siblings have racked up about 30 between the two of them." Speaking of her siblings, Mike, or Michael had strolled up to the three girls.

"Detention, Nessie? I thought that was my thing." Her older brother sat down with her, slinging his arm over her shoulder. 

"Trust me, after Friday I won't ever have detention again, and you can go back to having it all to yourself." Venus said, stealing her pumpkin juice back before he could take a sip of it. Rosie looked bored, waiting for the boy to leave so they could continue, but Thea was laughing at Michael.

"Quit, laughing T. My baby sister got detention. What will I ever do with a trouble maker like you?" 

"Leave and not come back?" Rosie offered, making it clear she wanted him gone.

"Ouch, you three are mean. I can't believe I let you over every summer." He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest like a child.

"You don't get a say, Mike." Thea pointed out, and Venus agreed, laughing along with her blonde friend.

"Just for that, I'm stealing your bread roll." He reached over to Thea's plate, stealing her bread and quickly leaving before she could say anything.

She just laughed, and grabbed another roll from the center of the table.

"Venus! I heard you got detention this friday." Peter said, breaking away from his normal friend group to come up to the girl. Thea and Rosie gave him kind smiles, already used to the small boy joining their group from time to time.

"Who could you have possibly heard that from, it just happened?" Venus pointed out.

"I'm friends with the marauders, and the marauders know all." He answered mystically, tapping his finger against his forehead as he spoke. "Besides, Mcgonagall caught us pranking the Slytherin's so we have detention with you." 

"Oi, you were gonna prank the Slytherin's?" Rosie snipped, making Peter freeze in fear. He forgot that Rosie was in fact a Slytherin, seeing the green tie around her neck. 

"N-othing big, Rose. I promise." He sounded unsure, and Rosie stood from her seat. Peter took off running trying to hide behind Sirius. Rosie had one mean death glare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:  
> I feel like Rosie and Pete  
> would make such a cute friendship   
> pair. Like they are polar opposites it's great. 
> 
> And I'm glad Venus told that dude off.  
> He was an arsehole. I'm pretty mad  
> over everything that's going on in the  
> world right now, which is why I  
> decided to include a tidbit of Clare  
> being picked on. Please be kind to one  
> another and don't judge people by the  
> color of their skin. :) I love you all.


	6. dull detention

Dear Venus,

I heard you ended up in detention, missy. Now, I don't really mind, but you should be glad the letter came to me instead of your mother. Merlin knows that woman would freak out if she found out. Michael and I had a bet going to see when you would get your first detention, and needless to say, you owe me three sickles.

Anyway, I wrote to tell you I got a job! I know things have been rough since your mum and I split up, but I've been taking up shifts at The Leaky Cauldron on weekends and some nights. It's not ideal but I'll be fine, besides, I gotta pay for Sebastian's school books somehow. I reckon you could come and work with me this summer if you're interested. I got my first summer job when I was fifteen, and I think it would be cool to work together, just you and me. 

Well, how's school been so far? And how is Rosie and Thea? I haven't seen them in over a year. I almost miss them, but don't tell them that. It'll go straight to their heads. 

Love, Your Dad.

Venus smiled at the note from her father. She knew he wouldn't care about her getting a detention, and she wasn't a bit surprised that he and Mike had a bet against her.

She decided she would try to write a letter to him later, but absolutely loved the idea of getting to spend some time with her father this summer. Since her parent's divorce, she spent most of the summer with her mum and step-dad, and missed her dad dearly.

She glanced at the clock, 5:33, she had half an hour to get to Mcgonagall's classroom to start her detention. She couldn't help but feel excited. She's never been in detention before, and she loved having new experiences. 

Venus packed a few books, textbooks and novels, into her satchel and made her way down to the common room. She was a little surprised to see Thea locking lips with fellow Hufflepuff, Amos Diggory. She hadn't been the same when she came back to school this year, but if she was happy, Venus wouldn't say a word.

She arrived at the classroom ten minutes early and pulled out a book she had packed, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was one of Venus' favorites. It explained in detail all of the different types of magical animals and how dangerous they are. It showed how to care for them and what not to do in their presence. It had been her dream to meet Mr. Scamander, but because of his age, she doubted he'd be doing any book signing now.

She looked up when the door to Mcgonagall's classroom opened, but instead, Professor Binns floated out, welcoming the teen inside.

"Professor Mcgonagall had some business to attend to with the Headmaster," his dull voice droned on, "so I will be chaperoning your detention. Where are the others?" 

"No idea, Professor. I suspect they should be here soon." Venus replied politely, taking her seat in the middle of the class. 

She was only there for fifteen minutes before the boys in question came stumbling in, all bearing different excuses.

"Peeves caught us --"

"Got lost cause of the staircases--"

"Slept in?" 

Peter's excuse came out as a question, not knowing how to lie his way out to a Professor.

"Mr. Pettigrew it is six o'clock at night, If you slept in I'd be very surprised." Peter blushed a bit, but the three other boys didn't care, they knew they'd be in trouble no matter what they said.

Professor Binns wanted them to sit in silence for a few hours and do homework, but with the Marauders, he should have known that wasn't going to happen.

As soon as he fell asleep, like he always does, James pulled out his wand and muttered a silencing charm so he wouldn't wake up when they would inevitably make a lot of noise.

Venus was only a few pages into this fantastic muggle book called Frankenstein when Sirius Black was tapping her shoulder repeatedly. 

"So what kind of things does your sister like?" He asked her nonchalantly.

"Excuse me?" She asked, confused.

"Well I've fancied her for a bit and I want to know what she likes so I know how to ask her out." Venus cringed at the thought of her sister dating Sirius Black.

"No offense, but isn't she a bit old for you?" She pointed out, since Hanna was seventeen and Sirius was barely fourteen.

"Age is just a number, Legna." He said, flipping a bit of his hair out of his face.

"Well, good luck. She's never had a boyfriend for longer than a few days and they're all her age." 

"Well maybe she ought to experiment with a younger guy. Enter, Sirius Black." He gestured to himself.

She really didn't like the thought of Sirius Black trying to seduce her sister, but it was none of her business what either of them did.

"I know she likes playing a muggle game called Hockey. She spends every Chritmas break going to the ice rink to play." Venus thought back to when she tried on a pair of skates for the first time, and ended up breaking her wrist. 

Detention flew by quickly. None of them bothered to leave incase they were caught by a teacher, so the four boys just sat in the corner playing games and being loud. 

Peter came and sat with Venus for a little while, and he would tell her stories about pranks he had pulled. She enjoyed time with Peter. Venus never really had a close guy friend. She liked to say she's friends with anybody, but realistically, not a lot of people spoke to her on the daily.

"And then, instead of falling on the Ravenclaw boy, James accidentally set it off and got covered in seaweed head to toe." Peter ended up laughing so hard, his round face turned a violent shade of red. Of course. Venus giggled too, but it looked like he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen.

"You guys have a lot of fun, huh?" She questioned the boy she became unlikely friends with.

"Yeah, most of the time Remus has to pull us back before we go too far." 

When Remus heard his name, he turned his chair around so he was facing their table. 

"Is he your voice of reason?" 

"Actually, most people think he's a goody two-shoes but some of our greatest schemes have come from his mischievous brain." Remus scoffed.

"Name one of them that was my idea?" He tested, making Venus snicker as Peter had to rack his brain for a good one. Suddenly, his face lit up.

"Okay, last year when we heard Avery and Mulciber call Evans a, you know, it was your idea to charm their entire wardrobe pink. They looked like ballerinas for a week!" Venus lit up at the memory of them 'prancing'around school in their pink uniforms.

"That was you guys? That was genius!" Remus blushed. "I mean it was very mean, but genius." She added, because although she didn't agree with it, she had to admit their planning and performance was impressive. 

"It wasn't mean, they deserved it!" Peter tried to argue.

"That may be so, but it was still rude. You should have told a teacher." 

"Oh please," Sirius and James had now joined the conversation. "That's for wimps. We handled it swell if you ask me." Venus rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face didn't leave. She idly listened to the four boys' conversation while watching the clock. 

Only thirty more minutes. Her mind drifted off into space, thinking about seemingly everything and nothing all at once. 

"Venus, let's go." Peter nudged her shoulder, letting her know that detention was now up and they were free to go. She slung her bookbag over her shoulder and made her way to the door.

"Oh Peter, me and the girls wanted to know if you wanted to spend the Hogsmeade trip with us. Not all of it, but maybe just grab a butterbeer?" In the few weeks they had become friends, Rosie and Thea had grown a small liking towards the boy. They saw him as a younger brother, and enjoyed poking fun at him, something Venus didn't really like.

"Fat chance, the Marauders always spends the Hogsmeade trips together." James interrupted, slinging an arm over Peter's shoulder, and his other was already around Remus'. 

"It's just a butterbeer, Venus I'd love too, thank you." Peter's heart swelled. He never felt like he belonged with the Marauders, but now he had another group of friends who also wanted to spend time with him, and it made him feel nice.

"I feel betrayed, Pete. What about tradition." James complained.

"It was never a tradition by choice, no girls wanted to go with us last year so we had to go together." Peter added rolling his eyes at his curly headed best friend. Remus was now laughing, because it was complete truth. 

"Speak for yourself, I had tons of offers from the ladies." Sirius added confidently.

Now Remus snorted at that. "You asked Marlene McKinnon once, and she shut you down so hard, you were literally speechless for an hour." 

Venus enjoyed listening to their bickering, it just spiraled from one subject to the next. She laughed when Peter started mocking James behind his back as he began to talk about Lily and her gorgeous emerald eyes again, earning his a swift jab in the ribs from James.

"I'll talk to you later, Peter. Bye everybody." She said politely as she walked out of the classroom door. The other four boys walked in the opposite direction to go up towards their common room.

Venus opened the door to her dorm room and was greeted with a snoring Clare. Thea sat on her bed with cotton stuck in her ears in a lame attempt to block out the sound. Her eyes lit up when she sat her best friend. 

"How was detention, Vee?" She asked, pulling out the cotton in her ears.

"Dull. Professor Binns fell asleep so I spent most of the time reading." Venus told her, pulling off her uniform and pulling on a comfortable set of pajamas.

"So you spent the last three hours doing what you would normally be doing?" Thea's eyebrow shot up as she questioned the brunette.

"Pretty much. Are you doing Professor Slughorns homework?" 

Thea took a pillow and smushed it to her face to muffle what sounded like a cry of pain. "Don't even get me started, I've been sitting here trying to do it for the past hour." 

Venus rolled her eyes, but her face still held her usual kind smile. "If you need help, you can always ask." 

Thea shot her a smile, but shook her head no. 

"I've been depending on you for the last four years to do my homework. If I want to get ready for our O.W.Ls next year, I need to be able to do this myself." Thea said with determination.

"Okay, but you should find the answer on page 47 of your textbook." Venus grinned, getting comfortable on her own bed. She quickly fell asleep to Clare's soft snoring.


	7. fabulous fudge

"I think I want to try out for the Hufflepuff quidditch team." Thea blurted out at breakfast one morning. It was the beginning of October, so quidditch season would be starting soon. 

"You've never shown an interest in it before." Rosie pointed out, putting down her buttered toast. 

"I want to try something new. My family plays quidditch together all the time, I'm not terrible. 

"Well I'm proud of you Thea." It wasn't a lie, Venus was proud of her. She was also worried about her. She had changed so much of herself these past few months, she could barely see where real Thea ended and Fake Thea began. 

"Tryouts are in two weeks. Will you be there to support me, Vee?" The asked the brunette girl. 

"Of course, Thea." 

"What about me? You're not going to ask if I'll be there to support you?" Rosie asked, almost offended. Almost.

Thea rolled her eyes at her Slytherin friend. "Please, Ro. You hate quidditch with a passion." 

"Doesn't mean I dont want to be invited?" She mumbled, propping her pouty face onto her palm. "Fine," Thea gave in. "Will you come support me, Rosie?" 

"No, quidditch isn't really my thing." 

"Why did you make such a big fuss about it then!" The shook her head at Rosie's flair for the dramatic.

"Just because I don't wanna go to the party doesn't mean I dont want an invite." Venus rolled her eyes and threw a piece of dry cereal at her friend. 

"How dare you." Her voice was low as she tried to squint her eyes at the Hufflepuff, but it was wiped away when another piece of cereal flew at her from Thea. "Alright, now I just feel attacked!" She head up a T with her hand to signify truce and the girls stopped throwing cereal at Rosie.

The dark haired girl straightened her robes, laughing as she picked a colorful ring of cereal out of her hood, and threw it at an unsuspecting first year. Venus tried not to laugh, but the look on his face was precious. The group laughed together as the boy frantically looked around to see where it came from.

"Rosie, that was mean." Venus scolded her best friend. 

"You started it!" She tried to argue, but falling short when Venus threw a stern gaze at the girl. She sunk back in her seat. "I'm sorry. I can't believe I'm letting a Hufflepuff boss me around." Thea rolled her eyes at her friend's ability to act like a total mom. 

"What are you doing for the Hogsmeade trip today, Clare?" Venus asked her roommate politely. For once, she didn't reply with a snarky comment, but with an actual reply. Something Venus was happy about.

"Lily, Marlene and I were going to meet up with Alice and go to Gladrags Wizardwear to get some dresses for the Halloween ball this year. It's the first year we'll be able to officially attend." 

Hogwarts held a Halloween ball every year for students fourth year and above. Many students had tried to sneak in in the previous years, but all had failed due to Dumbledore's magic. Many of the older students had come back from the ball talking about how amazing it had been, leaving the younger students jealous. 

This year however, Venus and her friends could go. "I need to pick up a dress, too. I don't want to wear any of my mums old dresses, she was much too modest for my liking." Thea added to the conversation, which left Venus confused. Thea had always covered up, not liking the attention she would get from other students if she didn't, but that apparently wasn't the case this year. 

"Maybe Peter could help pick out a dress for me. I need a guy's opinion." 

"Thea, you could wear a potato sack and Peter would still think you looked great." Venus called from the bathroom, where she was brushing her hair.

"True, he's such a sweetheart." Thea smiled. 

"He's kind of weird isn't he?" Clare added.

Both girls turned to Clare with incredulous looks on their face, making Clare nervous.

"Peter is not weird, he is different." Thea started. 

"He's just a little shy but he has so much to offer." Venus added after her.

"He's so kind and has so many funny stories." 

"And he may be awkward, but once you get to know him he's really sweet." 

"He's a great guy, Clare." 

"Really great." Venus finished. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant he's so much different that the other 'Marauders' I didn't mean he was a bad person." Clare tried to explain herself.

"He is different, because he's better than those blithering nincompoops." Thea pointed out, making Venus giggle.

"Nincompoops is a little harsh, Thea." Venus told her friend.

"You're right. I meant bimbos." This time, Venus didn't bother to scold her friend and instead just laughed it off as Clare rolled her eyes at her two annoying roommates. 

The two girls bid their third roommate goodbye as they met up with Rosie at the entrance to the school. 

It was tradition for the girls to go and visit Thea's mother during ever Hogsmeade trip. She always had a wonderful batch of fudge prepared for the girls to snack on while they huddled around the fire to protect them from the harsh weather. They made their way to Thea's home, occasionally stopping to make fun of people walking on thestreets, much to Venus' dismay. 

"It's really impolite to make fun of people, especially people you don't know." She had given them this talk at least once a month. 

"Yes, we know, but did you see her makeup? She looked like she was getting ready for a bloody circus, she did." Rosie's Scottish accent came out in a laugh. Thea laughed as she recalled the horrid paint job on Wilma Greshald.

"You two will be the death of me, I swear it." Venus joked to the two girls.

The trio stopped in front of the familiar doorway of the Hagar household. The plants that Thea's mother had put out had died. Due to the harsh winter's, or Mrs. Hagar's terrible green thumb, Venus didn't know. 

Mrs. Hagar came to the door after Thea had given the door the short knocks. She was a kindly old woman, short brown looks similar to the ones Thea had before she changed it. She had soft green eyes that held a sense of comfort to everyone who had the pleasure to be with her. 

"Come in, come in! It's bloody freezing out there." The woman ushered the three girls into the house. Mr. Hagar had passed years ago, so it was only the two women living in the house now, but the house was always very lively. Owls flying in and out constantly, and the soft whistle of the tea pot blowing made the house a home. 

Rosie didn't hesitate to strip herself of her players and recline on the comfortable couch. "Your couch is like a big warm hug, I don't want it to end." Ms. Hagar was used to Rosie making herself at home, she had known the girl long enough not to get weirded out by her outgoing personality anymore.

"The fudge is on the counter, you girls can take as much as you want as you tell me all about your year so far." The three girls didn't hesitate to grab a few pieces of fudge and get situated on the floor of the living room, just as they always had done. Ms. Hagar raised her wand and shot flames into the fireplace, instantly warming the home, and creating a soft orange hue around the room.

Thea began listing off every minor thing that had happened to her this year, while Rosie chowed down on her fudge, not caring that she was making a mess of crumbs everywhere.

"And I was thinking about joining the quidditch team this year." She mentioned this last bit hesitantly, scared of her mother telling her it was 'too dangerous'and 'but you could get hurt!' Natalia Hagar was a lot of things, and overprotective was at least half of them. 

Yet those comments didn't come, instead, a bright smile made it's way onto her face. 

"I was hoping you'd say that to me one day! I was on the Hufflepuff quidditch team in my youth. I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to feel pressured to join just because I did." 

"Thea hasn't shut up about joining for ages! It's always, quidditch this and quidditch that. She never shuts up about it." Rosie sighed dramatically setting down her now empty plate of fudge. 

"I mentioned it once a week ago, quit being dramatic, Rosebush." 

"If you call me Rosebush one more time, we're gonna have issues." She said seriously, but both girls could see the sparkle I'm her eyes that let them knew she was joking.

"Do you think we should save some fudge for Peter?" Venus suggested.

"Peter? Who's Peter?" Ms. Hagar asked the trio.

"Peter's no one, this fudge is mine!" Rosie exclaimed taking another piece of fudge and cramming it into her mouth. Thea rolled her eyes and turned to her mother. 

"Peter is this Gryffindor boy we became friends with. We're meeting at the Three Broomsticks later." 

"He doesn't deserve my fudge." Rosie called from the kitchen.

Ms. Hagar rolled her eyes, and pulled out another pan of fudge from the pan, making Rosie's mouth go wide. "I have more, take some to your friend and quick making a mess in my kitchen." She scolded the Slytherin girl, who had a sly smile on her face as she took the fudge and bolted for the door. Thea hugged her mother goodbye and Venus thanked her for welcoming her into her home, as always.

"Maybe we shouldn't tell Pete we have fudge. Maybe it's best we keep it to ourselves." Rosie suggested. Thea grabbed the tray from her friend and held it in her arms, out of the other girls reach.

"Ro, you've had enough fudge to last a life time. Let it go, you can always owl Ms.Hagar and ask for more." Venus' statement was cut off by someone's obnoxious scoff.

"Listen to her, Cole. Lay off the fudge and maybe you'll drop a few pounds. Merlin knows you need it." Cassius Parkinson yelled out to the teen, making his friends burst out in laughter.

"Why don't you go drop a few of your friends off the Astronomy tower." Rosie called back with a smirk on her face. Venus pulled on her arm before she could start something bigger. 

Rosie had never cared about what the other Slytherins had said about her. She wasn't apart of the sacred 28, so she was subjected to a lot of rude comments during her time at Hogwarts. 

The three girls made their way to the Three Broomsticks to meet Peter. "Are you okay, Rose?" Venus asked.

"It will be a bold day in Hell when one of their insults gets me down, Vee." She reassured her. Like most teenage girls, Rosie did struggle with insecurities of her own, but she would never let a comment from them hurt her feelings. Because that would be like losing, and Rosie never loses.

"We brought fudge." Venus called out to their friend when she saw Peter and his friends sitting at a table. Peter's eyes got wide as he but into a delicious piece of chocolate fudge.

"Oh, Merlin that's like heaven on a plate." He said as he took another bite of the delicious treat. James crossed his arms over his chest with a pout.

"Are you not going to share? How rude." 

"It's not my fudge." 

All three boys looked to Thea with pleading eyes as if asking for a piece. She rolled her eyes and pushed the plate to the center of the table where they all happily dug in. 

"Why do they get to eat all of my fudge?" Rosie asked, with a shocked look on her face. 

"It's not your fudge, Rosie." Venus reminded her, causing the dark haired girl to put a scowl on her face.

The three boys let out a collective sigh as they bit into their fudge, making Thea and Venus laugh. Rosie was still sulking in the corner. 

"Merlin, Ro just have another piece." Thea said, making her friend jump up with a smile as she grabbed another peice. 

"You can keep the fudge, but were taking Peter." Venus told theboys, but they ignored her.

"Peter? Who's Peter, all I know is fudge." Remus said with a dopey smile on his face, making the brunette laugh as the girls had to drag Peter away from the fudge that stayed at the table. 

"Save me a piece!"


	8. fluttery feelings

The girls dragged Peter into the dress shop shortly after stealing him from his other friends. He seemed uncomfortable being in a shop filled with so many women, but Thea and Rosie took no mind as they started a pile of dresses to try on. 

"Venus, I picked out a yellow dress for you to try on." Thea pointed to the soft yellow dress on the top of the pile. It was very pretty, Venus had to admit, but it wasn't what she wanted. 

"Actually, I already know what I'm going to wear." She told Thea, who was currently putting a dress back on its hook. 

"When did you go shopping for a dress?" Rosie asked. Peter had found a seat on one of the sofas, commenting on their outfits as they stepped out of the dressing room.

"I'm not going to wear a dress. It's a halloween ball, and I want to go in costume." Originally, the Halloween ball was meant to be a spooky event where everyone was in costume. Most students, mostly girls, had taken it upon themselves to use this ball to dress up, so the Halloween Ball changed from a costume party to a dance.

"You're not going to go in a dress? Why not?" Thea asked, sitting on the couch next to Peter. 

Venus shrugged, tucking her hands under armpits. "I never got to go trick or treating as a kid since that was more of a muggle tradition, so I never got to dress up for anything." 

"But this is your first dance. Don't you wanna feel like a princess?" Thea asked, with a dreamy look in her eyes. Rosie was now talking to Peter as the two laughed at some of the people in the shop.

"No, I wanna feel like a pirate." She answered simply, causing Thea to get a confused look on her face. "My mum is buying me a pirate costume to wear." Thea didn't bother asking her why she wanted to be a pirate, and instead took the dress out of her hands and hung it back on the rack. 

Rosie had ended up picking a beautiful red dress that reached to her feet and had a silver strap across the middle. Peter said the red would anger her fellow slytherins, and that was all Rosie needed to hear.

Thea ended up going for a simple black dress that covered her chest and had thin straps across her arms. Peter, not having much knowledge on fashion, said he likes the simplicity of it. Venus made them stop by Honeydukes, a candy shop, on their way back to the Three Broomsticks because she wanted to mail some candy to her younger brother Sebastian. 

"Sebastian will be joining Hogwarts next year, won't he?" Rosie asked, taking a bite of her licorice wand as the group walked towards the pub. 

"Yeah, he turns eleven in the spring." Hanna will have graduated by the time Sebastian starts school, but Sebastian was excited to be able to spend his first few school years with at least two of his siblings. 

"He's such a sweetheart. He always gives me his toys to play with when I come over." Thea laughed with Venus, and they made their way into the pub. Sirius, Remus, and James were still in the booth, laughing about who knows what when the girls and Peter joined them.

"All of my fudge, gone." Rosie complained, referencing to the now empty plate in the middle of the table. Thea smacked her friend in the back of the head, tired of hearing her complain about the stupid fudge. "You guys can join us if you'd like." James offered the girls, that were about to walk away to get a table of their own. They happily accepted and the boys scooted in to make room for them.Peter and Thea sat in the center, James, Sirius, and Rosie sat on one side, and Venus and Remus sat across from them.

Remus tried very hard to ignore the flutter in his chest when her shoulder brushed his. 'The full moon isn't for another two weeks, what is wrong with me?' He asked himself as his cheeks grew hot when she gave him a warm smile. Thankfully none of the boys noticed his weird behavior.

The two groups got along great, Peter acted as a bridge between both worlds as he told stories of their pranks to the girls. "We didn't even see Professor Flitwick behind us." Sirius told as h recanted a story from last year.

"Probably because he's like a foot tall." Rosie added, causing the group to laugh. One of the waiter's came over to give them their drinks, looking exhausted from having to run around and deliver drinks to everyone. 

"Are you alright?" Venus asked their waiter, who looked like he was about to pass out. He gave her a forced smile. "Of course, we're just a little understaffed. Enjoy your drinks." Venus gave him a poor smile, and felt bad that he had to work so hard because there was no one else there.

"I'll be right back." She said to her friends as she made her way to the counter. Rosie and Thea both rolled her eyes, knowing she couldn't relax for five minutes to actually spend time for herself.

"Where is she going?" Remus asked after the brunette slipped out from her seat beside him. He suddenly missed the smell of her apple perfume. "She feels bad for the worker so now she's going to go up there and offer to help them out. She could be a millionaire by how much she works, but she never asks for money. The group turned around to see the frazzled waiter handing her an apron as he rushed to collect more orders. Venus turned around and gave the group a thumbs up with a large smile. "I wish I could get mad at her for it, but she just gets so darn happy." 

It was one of those traits that really set her apart from everyone else. You could see the kindness and friendliness in her eyes as she walked up to a group of people and wrote down their order. Remus was entranced by how she carried herself, with confidence and yet humble. She laughed at something the costumer said, and suddenly wished it was him making her laugh like that.

He turned back to the butterbeer in his had before any of his friends caught him staring. The entire time they sat in their booth enjoying their drinks, Venus would shuffle past to pick up their empty mugs and take someone else's order. When it came time for them to leave, she handed her apron to Madam Rosmerta, and said goodbye. The woman shoved a tiny baggie of money into her hand, and told her off when Venus tried to object. Venus met her friends outside and walked back to the castle together.

"Good afternoon, Arnold. Have you had a good day?" Venus asked the homeless man that sat at the end of the street. He had had a terrible hand injury a few years ago, and could no longer do spells like he used to. With no family to lean back on, he was left homeless.

"Same as everyday." He answered simply. Venus handed him the baggie of the money she had just made from The Three Broomsticks, and Arnold gave her a kind smile. She always came to see him when she came to Hogsmeade, and he was always thankful for her generosity. She said goodbye and ran back to join her friends. 

"Are you nervous?" Rosie asked Thea on the morning of the Hufflepuff Quidditch tryouts. It seemed like a stupid question considering Thea had turned a nasty shade of green, and looked like she could throw up at any moment. Venus rubbed her friends back in comfort.

"Oh Thea, it'll be alright. I believe in you, and even if you don't make it, you can try again next year." Venus tried to comfort her Hufflepuff friend. 

"I know. It's just the first time I'm actually trying my best at something, and it would suck to fail." Thea answered honestly. Rosie moved from her spot across of Thea to sit beside her. 

"If it will make you feel better, I'll come along and cheer for you." Thea smiled at her friend, knowing she would rather do anything else than watch quidditch. "You have half an hour before tryouts start, just try to relax." 

Thea grabbed both of her friends hands in each of hers and gave them kind smiles. They were always there for each other no matter what, it was all Thea could ever ask for. 

The trio made their way to the quidditch pitch, giving Thea a last minute pep talk before she separated to join the other people trying out.

"Merlin it's too bloody cold to sit here for an hour." Rose complained.

"Why is it you always have something to complain about?" 

"I guess I'm just an unhappy person, don't judge me, Vee." She laughed at her friend's pessimistic tone. The pair stopped talking as the team pushed their brooms off the floor to start flying. Thea was trying out to be a seeker, as she said it would be easier considering there are three positions to fill. 

Venus and Rosie watched as Thea grabbed ahold of the quaffle and threw it in the center ring, making a goal. "Go Thea!" They yelled, causing the blonde to blush before doing more drills. 

"Venus, hold my hand. I can't feel my fingers." Venus rolled her eyes but grabbed the girl's hand nonetheless. She wasn't lying, her fingers felt like icicles. They sat there hand in hand for an hour, cheering on their third counterpart as she raced around the pitch on her Cleansweep. 

When tryouts were over, Thea joined her friends, dripping in sweat. "I can't- can't feel my legs." She gasped, clearly out of breath. She collapsed, putting her head in Venus' lap and sprawling out across the stands. 

"Merlin, get off of me, will you?" 

"Can't. Too tired." Venus let go of Rosie's hand and pushed Thea's head off of her lap, causing her to fall to the ground and groan in pain. "That was uncalled for. Rogers said he would put up the list tomorrow afternoon. I'm not going to able to sleep, I'm so nervous." 

"Don't be scared, T. If he cuts you from the team, we can tell Peter and his friends to prank him." Rosie said with an evil smirk, causing Venus to laugh.

"That would make me feel better, thanks." Rosie stretched her hand out to help the girl off the floor as they made their way down the pitch and towards the castle. Venus was thankful that the castle stayed warm, because it was freezing outside. The girls said goodbye to Rosie as they walked towards the Hufflepuff common room to relax.

"I can hear my bed calling me. 'Come sleep in me, Thea.' I'm on my way bed, I'll be there soon." Thea smiled as she talked to herself on their way to their dorm. As always, Clare was gone, so Thea was able to plop down on her bed without fear of disturbing her. 

Before she could actually go to sleep though, Venus spoke up. "Don't forget you have homework in Astronomy."

"Damn you, Legna."


	9. Pirate party

Thea and Venus snuck Rosie into the Hufflepuff common room on the evening of the Halloween ball, so they could all get ready together. Clare was gone, presumably with Lily and Marlene in the Gryffindor dorms, so it was just the three girls there at the moment. Aurora hid under Venus' bed to hide from the three girls running around to get ready. 

"Has anyone seen my eyepatch?" Venus called out as she ransacked her trunk looking for it. Thea picked the item up from her bedside table and threw it at her, not bothering to apologize when it hit her in the head as she ran around frantically. Venus rubbed her head where the small prop had hit her, and stood up to pull on her boots.

"The ball doesn't start for another hour, why are you stressing out?" The two girls looked at Venus with a look of shock.

"Stressing out? Who's stressing out? I'm not stressed, are you stressed, Ro?" 

"Never been more calm, T." Their tones told otherwise, but Venus let them continue to tear the dorm room apart looking for what they need to get ready. "Since you're basically done, can you braid my hair while I do my makeup?" Rosie asked.

Venus took off her pirate patch and stood behind Rosie, who was looking in the mirror as she tried to perfect her lip gloss. She had soft hair, it felt nice to run her fingers through it as she tugged the dark locks into a semi-loose braid. 

"Oh Merlin, I look hideous! No one is going to dance with me, I'll just stand in the corner and cry all night. That sounds like fun." Thea tended to get like this whenever her anxiety spiked. Venus and Rosie were the only ones who were able to calm her down and get her to think rationally.

"Thea, you're beautiful inside and out. If you find yourself self crying in the corner, come find me and we can dance the night away together." Venus assured her once she finished with Rosie's hair.

"Or you could come find me and we could hex whoever hurt you." 

"Rosie, no." Venus said.

"Rosie, yes!" The raven haired girl shouted with a smirk. Venus facepalmed at her friends behavior, but it made Thea laugh, so she guessed it wasn't that bad. "Well, we're all done, so let's get this show on the road." 

"Wait, I have a gift for you guys to wear tonight." Venus said before they could walk out the door. She opened the lid to her mahogany trunk, and pulled out two beautiful black rose hair clips. "They match both of your dresses." She added with a smile.

"Wuit being so nice I might cry." Thea smiled as she took one of the clips from her friends hand. She turned to Rosie and placed the clip at her temple, and she did the same to Thea. 

"A black rose wouldn't go with my outfit, so it's just for you guys. A token of my friendship if you will." She pulled the two girls in a hug, and told them how much she loved them. They made their way to the great hall, arms linked with one another as they walked through the doors. Looking around, Venus truly was the only one in costume, or at least she though until her gaze came upon Peter and his friends. 

They looked like they were dressed as animals. Peter had a mouse tail, ears and some whiskers, James was wearing a head band with antlers sticking out the top, Sirius had dog ears, a tail, and gloves with paw prints on them, and Remus looked like some kind of wolf, with ears, a tail and sharp teeth. 

"Glad to see I'm not the only one in costume." She said to the group as she walked up to them. Rosie and Thea went off together to find someone to dance with. 

"What are you supposed to be?" Sirius asked her, setting down his punch. She pulled on her eye patch.

"Arrrg, I'm a pirate, see? Now don't ask again or I'll make you walk the plank!" She did a little jig to further get into character. "What are you lot dressed as?" She dropped the accent.

"I'm a stag, Sirius is a dog, Pete here is a rat, and Remus is a wolf." Peter had looked uninterested until he heard his name. At her confused look, James continued. "It's an inside joke." Little did she know, they had just accomplished their patronus charm for the first time the week before. 

"Why do you have a pillowcase?" Remus asked her, noticing the light pink pillowcase that was hung over her shoulder. 

"To go trick or treating of course. I was thinking about asking the Professors to see if they have any candy. I'm sure atleast Dumbledore does." She was correct, she found out, as she saw Dumbledore munching on a bowl of lemon drops. The boys gave her a weird look, but ultimately didn't ask why she wanted to go trick or treating. 

She spent most of the night with Rosie and Thea, but also danced with Hanna, which was a pleasant surprise. Hanna usually would never want to dance unless it was very closely with another boy. Eventually she found herself at the refreshment table in need of some punch.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you. I'm like ninety-five percent sure Sirius and James spiked it." The scarred boy told her as she almost took a sip out of her glass. She brought it to her nose and inhaled the strong scent of firewhiskey and set her cup back down. 

"Thanks, Remus. I would not of looked forward to nursing a hangover in the morning." She laughed along with the boy. 

"What made you want to be a pirate?" He asked, desperately wanting to keep talking to the Hufflepuff in front of him. 

"Honestly, I just wanted to wear the eyepatch and the big funny hat. What about you, why a wolf." 

She gazed up to his plastic wolf ears, which was a last minute call to add. "It's just my inner animal I guess."

"I don't see you as a very wolfish character, Rem." He ignored the flutter when she called him Rem.

"You'd be surprised." They laughed a bit until someone came up to Venus asking her to dance. She didn't know his name, only recognized him from a class she shared with him. Remus gazed at the floor, suddenly very awkward as he felt like a third wheel.

"No thank you. I'm busy at the moment." She shot him down politely, making his previous smile falter. He pulled his hand back where it was previously out to take her hand, and walked away sheepishly.

"You could have danced with him if you wanted to. You didn't have to stay here with me." He didn't want to think she only stayed just to be nice.

"But I wanted to keep talking to you. Contrary to what you might believe, you're a good friend, Remus." She offered him a smile, which he returned, along with a blush that he hoped she didn't catch.

Why was he feeling like this all of a sudden? He had known her for four years, and they had only become friends about a month ago. It just didn't make any sense in Remus' mind. 

"Peter told us that Thea made the quidditch team." He added, wanted to take attention away from his burning cheeks.

"Yeah, we're so proud of her. She practices like three times a week so we don't get to see her as much. James in on the Gryffindor team, right?" 

"Sirius, too. He just tried out this year and made it as a beater." 

"I'm guessing flying isn't your thing?" She asked.

"Merlin, no. If you hand me a broom I'm more inclined to just sweep with it than ride it." This made her laugh, and Remus had to curse himself for losing his breath at the melodious sound. 

She was oblivious to his inner torment, he figured, as they continued their conversation with no mention of his clammy hands or reddened face.

"Do you want to go ask the Professors for candy with me?" She asked, picking up the empty pillowcase that had been discarded by her feet. 

"You don't want to do it with Rosie, or Thea?" He asked, almost like he wasn't expecting her to want to spend more time with him.

"No, they're probably off dancing through the night with some random bloke." He turned his head and found Thea indeed dancing with a fifth year Slytherin, but Rosie was sitting down chatting with Marlene, a Gryffindor girl in his year. 

He accepted, of course, wanting nothing more than to spend more time with the cheery, Hufflepuff girl. She took his hand and pulled him up to the High Table where the teachers sat. He looked at their interned hands and felt a spark run through his veins, but quickly shook it off. 'It's just a friendly gesture, get over it Remus.' He told himself.

Venus whipped out her handy dandy pillowcase and opened it up for easy access. "Trick or Treat!" 

"Wow, you're actually doing this. Okay." Remus stated, somehow shocked that she actually followed through. The first teacher she asked was Professor Mcgonagall, who looked down the staff table just to be met with equally surprised faces. 

"Oh, erm..." she clearly wasn't expecting kids to be asking for candy, though one look at the girl's face, and she had to do something. She transfigured her goblet into a small bowl of treats. 

"You don't have anything to hold candy in, Remus." Venus just noticed.

"Well, yeah. Trick or Treating was exactly what I had planned this evening." He said, matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes, but handed him her pirate hat to hold some treats in, and took a handful from the bowl in front of her. 

"Why thank you, Professor." Venus said kindly as she moved on to the next teacher. Remus just shrugged when the woman looked at him, expecting an explanation.

She did this to a few more teachers, all generating up their own concoction of treats and candy as the girl and boy made their way down the line.

"Trick or Treat, Professor?" She asked, reaching Professor Flitwick nearing the end of the table. Her pillow case was starting to get heavy, and she knew her stomach would hurt in the morning.

"Hmm..." He said, pretending to think. "I choose Trick!" He swished his wand, making a clutter of blue butterflies surround Venus' and Remus' heads. She looked up in delight, and Remus was doing the same. The creatures slowly faded away, but neither of their smiles did, as their eyes met and they shared a laugh.

"Were you planning on sharing, Moony." James asked the scared boy when Venus had left to go to the bathroom. He handed the bespectacled boy a lemon drop as he sat on the bench next to him.

"Moony?" Remus asked, questionably.

"I think it suits you, ya'know? Cause you howl at the moon. Moony." 

"Yes, yes. Very clever, James." Remus said teasingly, making the boy elbow him in the ribs whilst stealing more of his treats.

"You haven't spent time with us since Legna came around." James caught on to the slight blush that littered his friends scarred face, at the mention of her name. She was still in the bathroom, so he didn't have to worry about her overhearing them.

"Maybe I just got sick of spending all my time with you annoying lot. People will start to think I've got no other friends." He tried to get James to shift the conversation, so he didnt have to talk about the girl he was starting to develop a crush on.

But James wasn't having any of it. "Oh, please. Admit it, you like Legna!" He teased, causing Remus to frantically shush him.

"Keep your voice down! So, maybe I do, bug deal. You'd be an idiot not to like her." He turned his gaze into the floor now, suddenly feeling pathetic at his own words. 

James clapped a hand on his friends back, causing Remus to jolt forward a little bit at his strength. "Don't worry, I won't tell Peter. Merlin knows he can't keep a secret to save his life, am I right?" He joked, but in all actuality, they both knew Peter was rubbish at keeping things to himself. They were surprised he hadn't blabbed to someone about Remus being a werewolf, or about their plans to become illegal animagi to join him every month.

"Alright now leave, she's coming back." 

"Aw, ickle Moony getting his flirt on, now is he?" James ruffled the hair of the sandy haired boy in front of him, making him smack his hand in frustration as Venus walked back to the table. 

"Sorry it took me so long. You have no idea how hard it is to try and get in and out of this costume." Remus couldn't do anything but smile at the girl in front of him. He was sure she felt no romantic feelings for him, but in the moment that was okay. 

It was just Remus and Venus, being friends, chatting about anything as they munched on their halloween candy together. Even shared a dance or two to the fast paced music that played for most of the night. When they split up to hang out with her other friends again, he couldn't help but feel a tug on his heart as he ached to be in her presence again.

'Merlin, I'm whipped.'


	10. sappy shakespeare

It was nearing Christmas time, and Venus now spent most of her time in the library. Rosie had been spending more and more time with Lily, Marlene, and Clare, while Thea had quidditch practice most days. This left Venus with a bit of extra free time to relax in the library and study for exams. 

She had a notebook beside her as she jotted down extra information from her Herbology book beside her, and how some of the plants can be used to treat wounds. She was interrupted, however, when a shadow was cast over her book.

"Lucas!" She greeted him, pleasantly surprised. She hadn't really spoken to him much after she helped him pass his Potions quiz. 

"Hello, Venus. Do you mind if I sit with you? I'll be quiet, I just dont want to get picked on by those Ravenclaw guys anymore." He held his head in shame. Venus felt sorry for the boy, and pulled out the seat next to her so the young boy could sit. He set his bag down next to the chair, and flashed her a grateful smile as he he took the seat next to her. 

Venus enjoyed the silence that Lucas had promised while he sat and did his transfiguration homework. She figured that silence was about to be punctured when the marauders walked in. She tried not to snicker when Madam Pince had to shush them. 

Remus had to bury his head in his book to hide his blush when Madam Pince came to scold him and his friends. He had tried to go to the library and study alone, but his friends weren't about to let him have some peace and quiet. He begged them to leave him alone so he could study.

"I have a quiz tomorrow in Muggle Studies, please shut up." He begged them, agitated. The last thing he wanted right now was to get kicked out of the library.

"It's not in our nature to be quiet, Moony." James had started calling him Moony ever since Halloween. The others thought it fit, so now it was his new nickname. 

"Then why are you in the library?" 

"We have to find books on becoming Animagi. We can't just let you go through your transformations on your own, now can we?" Sirius said, clapping the sandy haired boy on the back. Remus shook his head in exasperation. The three boys roamed the aisles trying to find books to help them learn how to become and Animagus.

James began picking books off the shelf one by one, Sirius decided to just pick up an entire section, and Peter was on his tip toes trying to read the book spines. Remus turned his page haphazardly, not really interested in it's contents. He was only here to prove to himself that at least he was trying. He hated Muggle Studies, despite the fact that his mother was a muggle. Hope had tried to teach him things about the muggle world over the years, but everything was unlearned when he got to Hogwarts.

He glanced up from his book to scan the library, which was a big mistake as his brown eyes fell on Venus, studying with Lucas by her side. Her book laid on the table, as she scribbled notes into the notepad beside her. She occasionally tucked a peice of hair behind her ears when it fell into her face. Remus tried to focus his attention back onto his own textbook, but it was no use. He had seen her there, and now she was in his thoughts.

He couldn't get over the smell of her apple perfume, or her makeup-free face. Or the way she danced in the hallways to make her friends laugh. He snuck another glance at her to find her laughing at something Lucas had said. Her eyes lit up, making Remus' chest hurt.

'I get it, I like her. You don't need to remind me every bloody second.' He thought to himself when his insides were doing cartwheels. James and Sirius had come back, dropping the pile of books onto the somewhat small table. A few of them fell to the floor, causing a bit of ruckus and snapping everyone's attention. 

Venus and Lucas's head snapped up to the table with books spilling over the edges. She made eye contact with Remus, who gave her a sheepish smile. She returned the gesture, and turned back toward her book. That small gesture was enough to turn Remus a light pink. 

Once again he hid behind his book as his friends scrambled to pick up the books before Madam Pince could yell at them. They got to work quickly, despite Remus continuously telling them that it's too dangerous, and he doesn't want them to get hurt. 

His friends quieted down once they actually opened their books to try and do some research, which Remus was thankful for. Though, everytime he too tried to get lost in his book, his eyes would glance up to where the brunette was sitting. 

He felt like he was being so obvious, she was bound to catch him. But he couldn't help it. She looked breathtaking, as she sat by the window, letting the sun's rays shine over her, hair tucked behind her ears as she read from her book. James happened to look up, and see his lanky best friend trying not to look up at the girl again, and poked him on the shoulder. 

"If you don't stop staring at her, she's going to think you're a stalker." James whispered, careful not to let the other boys hear him. Remus ignored him, and continued to hide his rosy cheeks behind his defense against the dark arts book. 

He looked up again, this time because he heard shuffling. Lucas and Venus were both packing their books, making their way to leave. Remus wasn't sure if he was sad she'd be going, or happy that he could focus on his books again. But before she had walked out the door, she turned to the group of four Gryffindor boys. 

"Animagi? Why are you researching animagi?" She didn't mean to pry, but Peter's book had the word Animagus written boldly across the top. She had done her fair share of research on it, knowing she wanted to become a registered animagus when she could. 

"Uh, well you see- we were just... uh." Peter tried to cover.

"They're just reading for fun." Remus tried to rescue his poor friend. It was not a very believable lie, but Venus was very trusting. 

"Oh, that's fun. You should ask Professor Mcgonagall, she's an animagus." Venus told the group. Remus fiddled with the sleeves of sweater, as he couldn't help but feel nervous when she was near. 

"She's an animagus? How did you know that?" Sirius asked.

"I asked her once if she knew anything about it. She said she would help me become an Animagus when I turn sixteen. That way by the time I'm seventeen, I can shift."

This time Sirius spoke. "You want to be an animagus? Why?" 

"I guess I'm just very interested in being closer to animals and nature." She bid the boys farewell, and walked out of the library. Lucas had already left, trying to avoid the bullies before they found him. Remus watched as she walked away, without a care in the world. 

Venus and Rosie sat under a tree next to the black lake. It was mid November, so the air was chilly, but warm enough to spend the day outside. Rosie currently had her head in Venus's lap, as the Hufflepuff girl read aloud to her. 

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon." Rosie was a sucker for Shakespeare's plays. Rosie had a notebook that she kept in her satchel at all times filled with things she has written. She never told anyone, except for Venus, about her passion for writing. Not even Thea knew. Rosie was very secretive about it, as she was very insecure about the things she wrote. 

Rosie's eyes shut as she took in the suns rays, letting it coat over her soft skin. They had a free period together, but Thea was in Ancient Runes at the moment. The quiet reading session was interrupted by a few of Gryffindor girls.

"Hello, Rose." Marlene greeting, bringing the dark-haired girl's attention up. Rosie gave her a big smile and greeted her back. Lily, Marlene, and another girl named Nguyen Marsh sat along with Venus and Rosie. Nguyen was a very popular girl in the year above them, and tended to drift between friend groups constantly. She had transferred to Hogwarts in the middle of school last year, to reasons still unknown.

"What are you reading?" Nguyen asked Venus, when Marlene, Lily, and Rosie were all having their own conversation.

"Romeo and Juliet. It's a muggle play about two teenagers falling in love, but they come from opposing families that won't let them be together." She said, showing the girl her book. Nguyen's green eyes trailed over the cover and back up to Venus. 

"That sounds tragic." She said with a slight frown.

"It's supposed to be the world's greatest tragedy."

"I'd imagine, being separated from your true love because of hate. It's awful." She said with a tone of bitterness. Venus sensed Nguyen was upset about something, so she reached her hand out and took the Asian girl's hand in her own, to try and comfort her. Lily quickly bolted away from the group when she saw James on the other side of the lake, trying to make his way to her. 

Venus didn't understand why James kept pursuing a girl that told him repeatedly that she didn't like him back. Maybe he was overcome with the feeling of love, and any sense of rationality was thrown out the window. Oh how she wished to be young and in love. 

"Lily flower! Leaving so soon?" He tried to call out for her, but Lily's fiery red hair had disappeared around the building as she ran from him. There was no way she'd be sticking around to hear his insufferable nonsense. 

"Venus, while I have you here," Nguyen started, ignoring the commotion that was the Marauders. "Do you want to go on a date with me? The next Hogsmeade trip isn't for a while, but we can take a stroll around the grounds if you would like." 

To say Venus was shocked was an understatement. She had been asked out before, but mostly by people she didn't really know, or like that much. But here was Nguyen, a friend of hers that she got along with quite well. So, not noticing how the shaggy haired werewolf had stilled at her words, she answered. "I'd love to, Nguyenny." The nickname rolled off her tongue, bringing a smile to her lips. 

"Great! I'll talk to you soon, Venus!" She couldn't keep the tone of excitement from her voice as she got up and pulled Marlene away so they could go back to the common room with Lily. 

"You're going on a date? With a girl?" Rosie asked in shock.

"Yes I am. Is there a problem with that?" 

"No! I- I just didn't know you like girls." She said truthfully.

Venus shrugged her shoulders, not aware that the boys were all listening. "I like people, not their genders." She said whole-heartedly, and turned back towards her book, not noticing the look of confusion on ol' Remus Lupin's face.


	11. crazy crushes

"Come on, Moony. It's not that bad." James tried to console his friend. Remus had been laying facedown in his bed for the past twenty minutes.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked stepping into the room. Peter was off in the library with Venus at the moment, so it was just them three.

"Moony has a crush on Venus, and she's going out with a girl." James told the Black boy with a smirk.

"James!" Remus complained, lifting his head out of his pillow. 

James laughed a bit at his shaggy friend. "I'm sorry, Rem, but we can't keep it a secret from Sirius." He argued, causing Remus just to bury his head under his covers. "Come on, Moony, you haven't even liked her that long." 

"Two months." 

"Really?" James asked. "I thought you hadn't started liking her until Halloween?" 

Remus lifted his head out of his blankets to answer his annoying best friend. "That's when I knew I liked her, but I've fancied her for much longer." He lifted his body out of his bed and went to take a shower, hoping to wash the patheticness off of his body. 

"A girl. I didn't know you liked girls? Why wouldn't you tell me?" Thea asked, as the three girls sat on the floor in Venus and Thea's room.

"I never thought about it. I've never really liked anyone, but I like people for their personalities, not their body." Venus tried to explain. Neither of the girls judged her for going on a date with another girl, but it wasn't very common for someone to be out in 1974. 

"So, do you like her?" Rosie spoke up.

Venus didn't answer for a second. "I dont know. She's kind, but I've never thought about her that way." 

"Well me and Rosie will help you get ready when the day comes. I also have a date that day." When she was met with confused glances, she answered. "McClaggen asked me. He's not that bright, but he is a hunk." 

Rosie couldn't even hold in the eye roll. "McClaggen is such a wastoid. He can't even sing the abc's if you'd asked him to. I dont get why you're wasting your time with him." Rosie was clearly teasing, but Thea couldn't help but feel a tad offended. 

"Well I'm sorry my date doesnt reach your requirements. Not everyone can just catch all the boy's attention with a simple look." Thea said bitterly, messing with her hair instead of looking her friend in the eyes. 

"You act like I want all that attention. I don't want boys staring at me when I walk down the halls." Rosie countered. Venus didn't intervene because it was normal for the two to bicker.

"It's just not fair. You can attract anyone and everyone's attention and the one person I want to look at me won't." Rosie's previous frown was now gone, since she knew Thea wasn't mad at her in particular, but rather it was the world she was mad at.

Venus placed a hand on her friends back in an attempt to show comfort. "Why didn't you tell us you liked someone? We always share about our crushes." She pointed out.

"Because! We all know this person and it would be really, really awkward. I don't know if I can handle that right now. Our quidditch game against Slytherin is coming up soon and you know how they play dirty." Thea rubbed her eyes, as if trying to remove all the stress that lay behind them. "Will you guys be there to support me?" 

"I'll always be there to root against my own house for you." Rosie joked. Venus lifted her wrist to check the time on her watch.

"I'm sorry guys, i promised Peter I'd help him study for his charms exam." She grabbed her bag and left her two friends to go to the library. 

"It's Michael." Thea blurted as soon as Venus had left the room. Rosie gave her a confused look, so she continued. "I have a crush on Michael." 

"Venus' brother? Ew, that's disgusting." Rosie pulled a face and shivered. "No offense." She added when Thea gave her a look.

"I can't help it. He's always been so nice to me, and he's funny, and good-looking. . ." Her words trailed off as she thought about the older boy she fancied. Rosie rolled her eyes, and used a crumpled newspaper to smack Thea on her head with. "Hey!" She cried, rubbing her head.

"Is that why you've changed your entire look? Just to make Michael like you?" Rosie questioned. Honestly, she had never seen Michael as anything more than Venus' older brother. She felt bad knowing her best friend had been changing herself for a guy, and she was too stupid to notice. 

Thea nodded, but didn't reply. For the last year she had been wishing that her crush would go away but it never did. Anytime she went to Venus' house, she couldn't help but think about Michael in the next room. "Does this make me a bad friend? Liking my friend's brother?" She asked.

"Of course not, Venus would never judge you for liking her siblings!" She said incredulously, not believing that Thea thought she was a bad friend. She was the best friend Rosie ever had, along with Venus. "I promise you, if you tell her how you feel she would support you 100%. As long as you don't try to change yourself just so he'll like you. You're perfect, T." Rosie said with a smile. For never having comforted someone, she was doing an amazing job at it. 

Thea pulled Rosie into a hug, something the two girls didn't do very often. It took Rosie by surprise, as she always talked about how she didn't like being touched or hugged, but after a second she pat the Hufflepuff girl on the back. "Sorry, I know you don't like hugs." 

"It's alright, I liked that one." She smiled. "Are you still going to go on a date with that toad, McClaggen?"

Thea hesitated, but shook her head. "No. I think I've only said yes to everyone to try and make me feel better. Like, if Mike didn't like me at least these guys did." She answered honestly. 

"You deserve more that McClaggen, and more than Michael, honestly but you do you, I guess." Rosie joked.

"Please get out of the middle of the floor so I can go take a shower." The girls hadn't even heard Clare walk in, and she was grumpy. She always took a nap after classes, but she had detention earlier and she got cranky if she didn't get her sleep.

"Sorry, Clare." Thea said, scooting away from Rosie so she could pass to go into the bathroom. With Venus gone, and Clare in the showers, the two girls sat on Venus' bed (because hers was the most comfortable) and ate candy. They tried very hard not to make a mess, as Venus would get angry, but they couldn't stop laughing, causing a bunch of crumbs to spill everywhere. Venus would just have to deal with it. 

It had been a while since Rosie and Thea had hung out together just the two of them, and they forgot how much they liked being complete idiots together without someone judging them or telling them off. Eventually, all the sugar they consumed hit them like a truck, and they passed out on Venus' bed. They were in a very uncomfortable position when Venus arrived later that evening, as Theas feet were near Rosie's face, and Rosie was half off the bed. 

"Don't look at me, they were like that when I got out of the shower." Clare said when she saw Venus' confused look. She walked over to the pair of sleeping girls on her bed, and lightly moved them so they would be more comfortable. She noticed all of her empty candy wrappers, and the mess on her bed, but that was tomorrow's problem. 

Venus pulled on her pajamas and slept on Thea's bed that night, not having the heart to wake her two best friends.


	12. pitiful pranks

Nguyen and Venus stood on the edge of the Black Lake, tossing rocks into the water just as she had seen many people doing before her. "I bet I can get my rock to skip further than yours." The Asian girl challenged. 

"You're on." They both picked their rock of choice and threw it with all their might, but Venus was the ultimate winner. "Yes!" 

"Alright you win, what do you want as your prize." 

Venus pretended to think for a moment, but ultimately knew what she wanted to ask the girl. "I want to know why you asked me out." Venus had been having an amazing day, but she hadn't felt anything unusual. Just two friends skipping rocks together, hanging out like she does with Thea or Rosie. She was pretty sure Nguyen felt the same way. 

"To be honest, I do think you're an amazing person." She started, making Venus blush at the compliment. She was used to her friends complimenting her, but hearing it from someone else made her cheeks redden. "I think under any other circumstances, I would have wanted to have a relationship with you." Venus offered the girl her hand to hold. It was a friendly gesture. 

"When my father found out I was. . . Lesbian, he took me out of my all girls school. I guess he thought if I was around boys I'd magically turn straight." said Nguyen. 

"That's terrible." Venus frowned. "You're dad has no right to shame you for loving who you love." 

"I was in a relationship with this girl when he forced me to break it off. I'm sorry if I lead you on Venus, I guess I thought it would be easy for me to get over her." 

"Don't feel bad, Nguyenny. I'm glad you asked me out, because you're an amazing person to be around." The Hufflepuff placed a comforting hand on the girls shoulder. Even though they were just platonic, Nguyen's heart swelled at the gesture, feeling nothing but kindness from the girl in front of her. 

"Now that we're friends, can we go inside? It is way too cold to be outside right now." She mentioned, referencing the fact that she was wearing two jackets and still felt the icy weather. Venus agreed, and stretched out her hand to help the other girl stand up from her previous position sitting on the grass.

"James, no."

"Sirius, did you hear something?"

"Can't say I did James."

Remus groaned, bringing both of his hands to his face. "You cannot sabotage their date just for my sake. That's mean and wrong." He tried to reason, but the two boys pretended not to hear their wolfish friends protests. 

"We're not sabotaging anyone, Moony, were just in the mood for a prank, which just happens to be where Venus and Nguyen are having their date."

"Yeah, total coincidence." Sirius agreed, grabbing his wand and exiting through the portrait hole before Remus could try and talk any reason into the stubborn boys. Remus followed them downstairs to where Venus and Nguyen had just walked back inside after finishing up what they thought was a date. They were joking about something when James muttered a quick spell above their heads, causing the two girls in question to get soaked in water, with a small puddle forming at their feet.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Remus freaked out, scared that Venus would find out it was them. Everyone in the hall stood still, never expecting Venus to be at the receiving end of an embarrassing prank. Instead of running away horrified like Nguyen wanted to do, Venus chuckled, and kicked some of the extra water by their feet onto the other drenched girl. She took this as an invitation, and scooped up some water in her hands to throw at the Hufflepuff girl, laughing now as well.

James face fell. "That wasn't supposed to happen." He said dejectedly, seeing the two girl laugh as they jumped around, splashing people with water when they passed by.

"Great idea, guys. You really sabotaged them good." Remus said bitterly, watching the girl he liked having fun with Nguyen. "If anything, they seem to be closer now. You aren't very good at this."

"Hey, it's not our fault Venus can turn any situation into a positive!" Sirius argued as Remus dragged the two boys back into the Gryffindor dorms, presumably to scold them. "Before you get mad," Sirius started, digging into his trunk for something. "You made this for me for Christmas in second year we got in trouble too often." He handed Remus a slip of paper that read 'Get out of one scolding free'

Remus examined the piece of paper in his hands. "Sirius, this expired in 1973. . . and why do you even still have this?"

"I knew I'd do something to majorly piss you off one day." He shrugged like it was no big deal, prompting an angry eye roll from Remus. James scoffed. "How come I never got one of those? You yelled at me loads of times!" He pouted.

"We're getting off topic! I'm still mad at you guys." Remus reiterated, making his way back to the common room where Peter was sitting, working on schoolwork. They sat by the fire, using Peter as a shield from Remus' wrath, since he still didn't know what was going on.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Someone asked, bringing all of the Marauders attention to the portrait hole, where a soaked Nguyen Marsh had walked through. "Someone decided it would be a good idea to dunk water over my head." She twisted her shoes so they squeaked, showing how much water had seeped into her clothes. Remus elbowed James, who was sitting closest to him, as a silent way to scold him.

"Why would someone do that?" Lily spoke up, setting her book down from her previous position by the window with Marlene. 

"Dunno, probably because I was on a date with a girl. People don't tend to like that." She smiled bitterly, squeezing her hair so all of the extra water spilled out. 

Lily raised her wand and waved it over Nguyen, drying her off instantly. "I'm so sorry, that's horrible." Lily fumed. She hated when people were treated differently for stupid reasons. James slumped in his seat, hanging his head in shame. He didn't mean to make Nguyen feel like he pranked them because of her sexuality.

"Nice going, Nimwits." Remus scolded them, making Peter confused.

"What happened?" He asked, not knowing about the incident.

"James and Sirius eing stupid again." 

"Ah makes sense." He replied, going back to his work. Nguyen left the common room, presumably to go back to her dorm, and Lily was quick to follow. 

"How was it?" Thea asked when a soaking wet Venus walked through the door of their shared dorm.

"What the hell happened to you?" A sleepy Clare spoke up from her bed. She lifted her head from her pillow as the sounds of Venus walking in awoke her.

Venus violently shook her head, causing beads of water to fly everywhere and fall on the girls and Aurora. Aurora hissed and hid under Venus' bed to escape. "Merlin, Vee!" Thea complained, using her blanket to wipe water off of her face.

"Sorry. Someone spilled water on us when we were coming inside, and I made the best out of a bad situation." She said, gathering up some clean clothes so she could take a much needed shower. She didnt believe in using magic to fix her every little inconvenience.

"Besides that, how did the date go?" The wiggled her eyebrows, and even Clare sat up to listen.

Venus sat down on her bed and spoke. "We had a great time, but we're just going to stay friends." Clare slumped.

"That wasn't a very interesting story. Can't believe I got out of bed for this." Clare complained.

"You're still in bed, Clare." Thea pointed out.

"But it was so much work pushing myself up."

"You're unbelievable."

Venus ignored them, and stepped into the bathroom to begin her shower. She stripped herself of her soggy clothing, and turned to look in the mirror. She stared at her own face a bit, before stretching the tiniest smile. She loved herself, every part, even the flaws. Any bad feelings she had were washed away by the warm water coating her skin. 

It took a lot of energy trying to be perfect all the time. She felt like she had to be kind, and sweet. She had to be optimistic, even if for a split second she wanted to run when the water fell on her. She wanted to be strong for the young Hufflepuffs who look up to her, and for her friends that need a smile everyday. 

It's hard, but seeing Nguyen's terrified expression turn into a gleeful smile was what made it worth it. She would do anything to make people happy, no matter how exhausting, or how gruelling the task. Her duty in life was to be the light others don't usually see, and Merlin, was she going to be that light.


	13. malicious match

Christmas was around the corner, and Venus couldn't be any more excited. She could tell Rosie was feeling the Christmas spirit, but she was too prideful to let it show.

"Christmas is stupid. We're basically teaching kids to worship a creepy old man just so they can have toys. Sounds like a sugar daddy to me." Rosie mentioned that morning when Venus started complimenting the Christmas decorations. it was currently December 2nd, and everyone in Hogwarts was starting to feel the holiday spirit.

"Stop pretending like you don't love when my mom sends you fudge every year." Thea said, taking a few bites of her toast before her game today. It was her last game before break, and it was her first game against Ravenclaw.

"How can I not love it? That fudge is like a gift from Merlin himself."

"Why do you have to be so dramatic about everything?" Thea laughs. Venus looked at the small watch that rested on her left wrist. It was a gift from her mother on her eleventh birthday. 

"The match is about to start, you need to go meet up with the team." She told the now anxious girl. Thea took a shakey breath and nade her way to the locker rooms to get ready for her match. Rosie and Venus linked arms and made their way to the stands where the rest of the school was waiting. 

"Let's go sit next to Peter, I haven't spoken to him in a while." Rosie suggested.

"That's because he's been in detention, and you've been with Marlene and Lily." Venus pointed out, having to push through a lot of people just to reach their friend. 

Rosie blushed slightly. "I do not hang out with them that much." She tried to defend herself. She had been spending an awful lot of time with the Gryffindor girls, but Venus wasn't mad about it. She loved knowing Rosie had someone else to lean on in case she couldn't be there for her. Rosie wasn't the type to befriend a lot of people, so it was nice for Venus to see her break out of her shell a bit more.

They continued to make yhere way to where Peter was sitting next to Remus. "Remus! We are stealing Peter if that's okay." Rosie asked, looping her other arm around Peter's. 

"Uh, no thats not okay." Remus said back, putting his hand on Peter's shoulder and pushing back to sit down on the stands. 

"I was just asking to be nice. Peter come with us." Rosie looped her arm around Peter's and pulled him up again. Venus cringed, seeing the confused Peter get pushed up and down in a custody battle between Rosie and Remus. 

"Peter, sit." Remus told him, pushing him down again.

"Peter, stand." Rosie countered. 

"I'm gonna ralf." Peter said, face turning green from the quick movements.

"Here's a crazy idea. We all sit together." Venus piped in, laughing at her friend's ridiculousness. They all agreed, so Rosie and Venus took a place on either side of Peter, with Remus sitting beside the hufflepuff. Remus tried to ignore the claminess in his hand while sitting next to Venus. 

"Look, there they are!" She exclaimed, pointing to where the Hufflepuff team was walking out unto the feild. It was very chilly, and they could visibly see both teams shaking slightly in the cold. 

Madam Hooch directed the captains of both teams to shake hands, one of which being Venus' brother, Michael. She knew she would be rooting for Thea to win, but it was still difficult cheering for her brother to lose. 

The teams mounted their brooms and kicked off of the ground. The girls watched as Thea took her spot along with her other chasers when Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The game proceeded with Ravenclaw getting the quaffle first.

The sounds from the stands drowned out the wind that was whistling around their heads as the game continued. Venus and Rosie cheered as Thea got the quaffle and made her first goal against Michael. 

"That's my girl!" Rose stood up and cheered as Thea flew away from the goals with a huge smile on her face. The cold December air was starting to take a toll on everyone as they clung onto their friends to keep warm. "Thea better be grateful I'm freazing my buttocks off just to be here and support her." 

"It's not like you would have been warm in the Slytherin common rooms. The temperature is dreadful in there." said Peter. 

"How d'you know what it's like in the Slytherin common room?" Venus asked.

Peter's eyes grew wide as he realized his mistake. "What? I've definitely never sneaken into their common room if that's what you're implying, ha. Saved it." he whispered that last part to Remus, sho reached behind Venus and smacked him across the head. 

"If you're going to sneak in and prank the other Slytherins, at least let me help. I'd love to get back at all the bastards that made my life miserable." Rosie smirked, looking over to the Slytherin section where her roomates sat, cheering on Ravenclaw.

So far, Hufflepuff was barely pulling ahead. being in the lead 80- 50. Thea had made three of the goals, and it was like Venus could see the pride on the girls face all the way from the stands. 

That look of pride, however, was washed away when one of the Ravenclaw seekers, Olivia Newton, jabbed her elbow into Thea's ribs. Her left arm flew up to her stomach to try and ease her pain, so Olivia lifted her leg and kicked the girl, making Thea fall off her broom. 

There was a collective gasp from the student sections, and Venus coiled her arms around Remus' in order to try and calm her nerves. Madam Hooch was too slow, and Thea hit the ground with an obnoxiously loud crunch. The woman blew her whistle, calling a foul on the Newton gurl, before whisking Thea off to the Hospital Wing. 

Rosie and Venus didn't hesitate to get up and follow them, and the boy's followed. Venus couldn't bring herself to let go of Remus' arm, as if holding it was like a safety blanket. Remus said nothing, and just continued to let the scared girl cut off the circulation to his hand. 

Peter set a hand on both of the girl's shoulders to try and comfort them, but Rosie shook it off. She was seeing nothing but red. "Where is she?" She uttered to Madam Pomfrey as the group had entered the Hospital Wing.

"She's fine, but you all need to leave. She needs her rest and cannot have you all-"

"Dammit, Pomfrey, where's my sister!" She yelled, not feeling like dealing with the woman's wishes. Venus reached over and grabbed the girl's hand with her spare arm. The girl's had always referred to each other as sisters, but Rosie always claimed it was stupid. 

This time Madam Pomfrey let them all pass, but not without promising a detention for Rosie later. They walked down the aisle of beds before finding Thea. She had woken up from her blackout at the match, and was surprised to see all of her friends. "I thought Madam Pomfrey said i couldn't have any visitors?" She asked, with a weak smile on her lips.

"She did, but Rosie can be quite scary sometimes." Remus weakly laughed, as he too was quite scared of her in that moment. Venus released his arm and went to sit in the chair by Thea's bed. He tried not to feel disappointed, but he missed tbe feeling of having her beside him. He was shocked, however, when after she sat down she grabbed his hand again. He intertwined their fingers, and felt his heart flutter when she looked up at him and smiled. 

They could hear the whistling sound from the pitch, signaling that the game was over with. "I hope we didn't get destroyed too badly." Thea moped. 

"You're the best player on that team. Without you, they have no chance." Rosie joked, making the girl laugh and clutch her ribs. 

The door opened and the other Hufflepuff Chasers came in. Venus stood up to give them some room to talk with Thea, so with her hand still wrapped around Remus', she walked over by the window. 

He held his breath as the girl he grew so fondly of stared out the window, sun coating her fair skin as their hands were pressed together. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, playing with his fingers to get her mind off of her bruised best friend. 

He didn't want to admit that this was the first time he had been truly happy this week, as the full moon was in a few days. It makes everything seem so dreary, but right now with Venus sitting there in front of him, he felt calm, contempt. 

The calmess was disturbed when another person made their way into the Hospital Wing much to Madam Pomfrey's dismay. Venus released her hold on Remus as her brother walked through the door, looking pissed still in his quidditch gear. 

"Thea! I'm so sorry Olivia did that. I already kicked her off the team." He said as he came in, walking to Thea's bedside. "But blimey, you did really good during the game. You made three shots on me!" 

Thea blushed slightly at the words of praise. "What was the ending score?" 

"Well after you were taken out, Ravenclaw started to dominate." He said with a cocky grin. "But Hufflepuff ended up taking the snitch, so you won. It was 100- 240." 

Venus and Thea cheered at the excitement that their house had won. "That's rubbish, they only scored one more goal when i left." 

"What can I say, I'm a damn good Keeper. What did they say was the matter with you, anyways?" Michael questioned, and nobody but Rosie was excited over the fact that they were holding a conversation. 

"Nurse says I have a broken rib, and a ruptured spleen. I'm feeling great." She smiled sarcastically. 

"Looks like it. I have to go deal with the rest of my team. Bye, Thea. See ya, Vee." He said, ruffling her hair before leaving the Hospital Wing.

"Merlin, I hate when he does that." She complained, fixing her brown locks before turning back to the injured girl. "We have to go, too, but I'll bring you your homework after class, yeah?" 

"Oh, joy." Thea responded sarcastically. The four students bid their friend goodbye and made their way out of the room. 

"I'm going to kill Olivia Newton." Rosie scowled, but Remus held her back.

"As tempting as that seems, you can't just kill people, Rosie." Remus said, laughing as he walked alongside Peter. 

The girl rolled her eyes and continued walking with Venus, until the pair had to split paths with the boys so they could hang out in the Hufflepuff dorm together. "I saw you holding hands with Lupin in the Wing. What was all that about?" Rosie questioned.

Venus shrugged looking at the floor. "I'm not sure. I guess I was just really worried for Thea, and I needed someone to hold onto. It was... nice. I think." She giggled at the end. She had never truly had a crush before, so she would have no idea if she liked him romantically or not. All she knew was she liked hanging out with him, and that was okay for now.


	14. holiday hoorah

Venus packed up her suitcase for Christmas break. It was always a bittersweet moment, having to leave her home, but at least she got to see her family. She would even be working at the Leaky Cauldron over break with her father, so that was another thing to look forward to. 

Aurora popped out from her spot in the windowsill, and landed on her suitcase with a thump. She stretched her limbs and yawned, having to wake up before the long adventure home. 

Thea was staying at Hogwarts this year, as her mother was crammed with work, and it wasn't really worth it considering she lives a short carriage ride from the school. Venus didn't know Clare's plans, as the two haven't really spoken all that much recently. The girl tossed her book bag over her shoulders and grabbed her trunk off her bed. Aurora growled at the quick change in her position, but quickly got over it.

She walked through the entryway of the Hufflepuff Common room, and began her walk to the front of the castle. She had already said her goodbyes to Thea, so she met up with Rosie and walked to where all the carriages were. 

Aurora rubbed her face against Rosie's legs, and the Slytherin girl lightly pat the top her head. "This thing terrifies me." She said, forcing a smile as Aurora's eyes flashed red briefly. "Ok, sorry! You're very... cute." Venus stifled a laugh as the grigglypuff went back to laying on the floor of the carriage. 

"Do you think you're going to stay at your brother's house over break?" She asked her friend. 

"Eh, I'm not really sure at the moment. He always has his girlfriend over and they are so annoying." Rosie rolled her eyes. She lived alone with her father, and her older brother rarely visited. Rosie usually brushed it off, but the girls knew she missed her brother. "Are you still going to work with your dad at the Leaky Cauldron?" She asked.

The girl nodded with a wide grin on her face. "I've been looking forward to it for ages. I haven't been able to see him much lately, and i barely got mum to agree to it." 

The friends stepped off the carriage and unto the Hogwarts Express, all the while continuing their conversation. Aurora refused to come out of her cage, and Venus was not in the mood to try and fight her, so she left her pet alone. 

"Ew, it's the women." Sirius Black exclaimed as he walked through the glass door. 

"Yay, it's the women!" Peter exclaimed too, as he squished himself between Rosie and Venus, and stole some of their licorice wands. 

"You love us, Sirius, don't lie." Venus giggled, poking fun at the Gryffindor boy. 

"I'm Sirius Black, i dont love anyone. Except for this brown haired cutie, isn't that right. Rem- Rem!" He obnoxiously squeezed the boys face, causing Remus to blush a bright red and furiously swat his hands away. Venus couldn't help but giggle at the sight of a flustered Remus.

Rosie looked around, realising the fourth git was missing. "Where's Potter?" 

"When are you going to stop calling us by our last names?" Sirius asked.

"When you start acting more like your first name!" 

He thought about it for a moment, and then chuckled. "Oh, I get it. When i start acting more sirius. That was clever. Anyways, we lost James a little while back when we passed by Lily's compartment. I swear his favorite past time is just to drool over her." He rolled his eyes.

"I think it's... sweet. Most of the time." Venus tried to defend him, but even she knew he came on a little too strong. 

"Oh, Please." Peter chimed in, mouth full of chocolate. "He chased her around the quidditch pitch yesterday, hoping she would get tired and eventually say yes." 

Venus couldn't help but cringe at the thought of poor Lily being chased around the pitch. 

"Did you see Marlene in her compartment?" Rosie piped up. Sirius nodded. "Yeah, but it was just them two." 

Rosie muttered a quick, 'be right back' and left their compartment. Sirius offered a game of exploding snap to the group, and they all happily agreed. Venus couldn't believe she had only been friends with these boys for a few months. Talking and messing around with them was so easy, she didn't understand why it took her so long to finally make friends with them. 

A very gloomy looking James Potter strolled through the door and plopped down on the other side of Peter. Aurora went crazy in her cage as soon as she smelled James. His face lit up when he spotted the small Grigglypuff cage in the corner. 

With Venus's permisson, much to everyone else's dismay, James brought the cat- like creature out and let her cuddle into his chest. "Who's the cutest little buddy in the whole world? You are! Yes you are!" He cooed, making the other boys roll their eyes. 

"I thought I was your cutest little buddy." Sirius pouted, not liking that his best friend was giving the pet more attention that him. Aurora cuddled into James'a neck and made herself comfy. Venus laughed and shook her head, wondering why Aurora seemed to like James so much better than her. 

"You'll always be my cutest little buddy, Siri." James smiled, causing Sirius to pretend to act all sheepish. 

The group laughed and played together for the rest of the train ride. Rosie came back as the train came to a stop. As much as Venus didn't want to say goodbye to all of her friends, she was excited to see her father again. 

She turned around and gave Rosie a big hug, and the girl didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the girl's neck, seeing as she was a good four inches taller than her. Venus then turned to Peter, who gave the most amazing hugs. She laughed as she let go of him, saying goodbye as he ran towards his mother. 

James and Sirius both wrapped her up in a tight bear hug, making her struggle to breath. She wraped one arm around each of their necks and said goodbye. Now it was Remus's turn. She didn't know why she was nervous to hug him. Everyone else had gone to meet with their families, it was only them. 

She gave him a smile, and tenderly wrapped her arms around his middle, bringing him close and resting her head against his chest. He wasn't tense for long, as he laid his arms around her shoulders, savoring the hug he knew wasn't going to last. 

She felt her body grow warm when the taller boy rested his chin on her head, but she ignored it. She gave him one more goodbye, and went off to go find her father.

'Merlin, it was just a hug, pull yourself together Remus.'

'Merlin, it was just a hug, pull yourself together Venus.'


	15. working waitress

Venus hummed a merry little tune as she strolled through the pub collecting orders. Today had been a good day for her. Nobody was rude, she didn't mess up once, and she had her dad by her side all day. It was hard to get used to at first, but meeting new people and being able to put smiles on their faces is what she lived for. She was the youngest person working there this winter, so she didn't make any work friends, but her dad always kept her company throughout the day.

The hufflepuff giggled as her father stuck two straws in his mouth to look like seal tusks. He always did stupid things to make her laugh. The girl walked over to a table and manually wiped down the counter for the next customer since she wasn't allowed to use magic yet.

She had met up with Rosie last week. They had an amazing time hanging out at Venus's father's house. It was weird being together without Thea, but it always made their bond stronger. Venus would trust the girls with her life. 

"Excuse me, can i get a giggly water?" A customer asked her. Venus gave her a soft smile and went to fetch the water. It was getting chilly since christmas time was nearing, and she always dreaded going into the back of the store because it was always kept really cold. 

Venus shivered as she pulled a water out of storage, not liking that her uniform didnt have long sleeves. She would much rather be in front of a fire with a glass of warm tea than in the cold storage, but this would have to do for now. 

Upon giving the customer their water, she glanced at the clock and realized she was done for the day. She waved to her father to signal that she was leaving, as he worked a few more hours than she did. 

She took off her apron and turned around so she could go to their room, as she and her father were staying in the leaky cauldron until he could get a place of his own.

Eager to get a jumper over her bare shoulders, she didn't realize there was someone behind her. "Oomf!" She exclaimed as she almost ran into the boy. It was Remus! 

"Venus? What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course I am! Just didn't expect it is all." He mentally cursed himself at his inability to make conversation with the girl.

"Did I not mention i was working at the Leaky Cauldron over break?" When he nodded, she laughed. "Sorry, guess I forgot. What are you doing in Diagon Alley?"

She turned to walk down through the noisy pub so they could continue their conversation in quiet. "My father is picking out an anniversary present for mum, though I got bored after the first hour in the jewelery shop." He laughed, making her laugh too. 

Her arms were still cold, and she was itching to be able to go back home and throw on a sweater, but she enjoyed talking with Remus, and didn't want to be rude. "You alright?" He asked.

"Just a a bit chilly, I'm fine." Venus dismissed, putting her hands over her arms to bring some warmth. 

"Here, take my jumper." He offered the girl without thinking. She happily accepted it and threw it on over her uniform, accepting the nice smell of chocolate and fresh laundry. The pair stepped outside of the pub and took a seat at one of the tables outside. 

Venus couldn't help but enjoy every second she spent outside with Remus. He was very good at keeping a conversation once he loosens up a bit. "You've never read The Odyssey?" Remus inquired, once their conversation shifted onto the topic of books. 

She shook her head and buried it in her hands, laughing. "I know! I've been trying to branch out of the wizard world and read more muggle books but there's so many."

"I'm so disappointed." Remsu said with fake sadness in his tone. 

"I'm sorry, I can't believe I've let you down." She went along, looking up from her hands to look him in the eyes. They stayed like that for a moment before breaking off into a small fit of laughter. 

They didn't realize the sun moving swiftly across the sky during their conversation, and only took notice to the change when Remus's father came around the corner. 

"Blimey, that took way too long. Come on, We've got to go now." Mr. Lupin urged his son up, eager to go home after a long day of shopping. Remus looked at Venus with sad eyes, hoping he could have stayed for just a little while longer. 

"Hi, I'm Venus!" She introduced herself to the man, surprising him. Remus's friends never liked talking to him, since he was an 'adult' and 'wasn't cool.' Pfft. Apparently Remus didn't expect it either. 

"Why hello! Nice to meet you, dear." 

"And you, sir. I'll see you back at school, Remus. Happy Christmas!" She leaned over and pecked Remus's cheek before turning back and entering the pub again, leaving him to be a flustered mess in front of his father. 

"She seems like a nice girl. Why's your face gone all pink?" Lyall teased his son, patting his hair. Remus shoved his dad's hand off of his head, ignoring his dad's teasing tone.

Venus walked into the small apartment that she was sharing with her dad with a smile. She had had an amazing date with Remus. Was it a date? Probably not, but then why did she feel all warm inside?

At this thought she remembered his jacket. It was way too big on her, as he was tall and lanky, so it reached all the way to her knees. Even though she was greeted with the warmth in the flat, she couldn't bring herself to take it off. It was so warm and cozy, and she loved the yellow color of the material.

She went into the back room, where she had already wrapped all of her friends christmas presents, ready to send them all out in a few days time. Aurora came out of her hidey hole, and quacked as she rubbed her head against Venus's arm. 

"You're such a sweetheart, aren't you?" The animal just quacked in response, and pushed herself up to rest in the girl's lap. "Please don't lay down, I want to make a sandwich." She argues with the animal, but Aurora ignored her, making herself very comfy. 

Venus's stomach growled in hunger, but she didn't have the heart to move her pet, so she stayed in her spot, allowing Aurora to nap in her lap. She rested her left hand on the grigglypuff's head, while the other supported her head as she moved slightly to lay down. 

As she closed her eyes to take a nap, she was engulfed with the smell of fresh laundry and chocolate that left a smile on her face as she slept.

When Venus's father came home a few hours later, he was surprised to see his daughter asleep on the hard floor with a grigglypuff on her stomach, but he didn't question it. Instead, he draped a blanket over the sleeping girl, and proceeded to go to bed, not wanting to wake her. 

"Good night, sweetie." He muttered as he turned of the light so his daughter could rest peacefully. 

"Good night, sweetie." Hope Lupin whispered to her only child as he layed in bed. He wished his mother a good night and tried to go to sleep, to no prevail. He couldn't get the hufflepuff girl out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. He knew the peck probably meant nothing to her, but he was already head over heals for her, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of it. 

He looked over to the clock that read 12:34 am, and rubbed his tired eyes. The fact that he was this infatuated with a girl was astounding to him, he was starting to understand why James was the way he was. Always talking about Lily; her hair, her interests, something cool she did that day. It's because the only thing that is on his mind is her. 

He wished it wasn't like that. as the more time he spent with her, the more infatuated he became. 'it's just a silly crush, it will go away soon.' he repeatedly tried to tell himself, but he wasn't so sure anymore. 

It's not like she would ever want to be with someone like him anyway, he thought. He was tall and skinny, not very good at socializing, spends all his free time reading. Plus, he was a werewolf.

His hand traced the scars that littered his face, as he wished evwryday that they would go away. He didn't deserve someone like her, she was a princess, and he was a monster. Those two things don't mesh well in his eyes. 

To Remus, she could have anyone in Hogwarts, it would take an act of Merlin himself for him to get a girl like Venus. So softspoken and kind. As he laid in bed that night, hoping things were different so he could call the girl of his dreams his, he couldn't help but look out to the stars and hope that somehow she felt the same. 

It felt selfish. If she did end up with him, somehow, she'd be doomed to living a life with a werewolf, but his teen heart couldn't help but hope. So hope he did, as his mind drifted to sleep, all he could do was hope.


	16. gift givers

Venus had woken up early the day after Christmas. She had made plans with Rosie and Thea to meet up and spend the day together exchanging gifts. They even invited Peter, much to his surprise, though the boy's weren't happy about lwtting him go since they were all spending the week at the Potter manor.

She strolled into the kitchen at sometime around 6:30 in the morning. Her father was still asleep, as he didn't need to get up for another half hour. Venus turned on the muggle coffee machine that her father loved, in order to get a cup ready for when he woke up, and made herself a cup of tea. 

She found that she much prefered a cup of chamomile tea to the caffeinated beverage her father enjoyed. She didn't even realize that she was still wearing Remus's jumper until she passed a mirror, seeing how it almost fully draped over her frame. She kept it on as she took a seat on the couch and wrote a small note to Sebastian, her younger brother, as she truly missed seeing him. Next year, he would be joining Hogwarts, and Venus wouldn't have to stress about not getting to see him anymore. 

She finished her letter, and sat back against the cusion to sip on the rest of her tea, as she heard her father finally roll out of bed. "G'Morning." He greeted her tiredly. Venus hadn't taken her early bird qualities from her father, that much was for sure. He wiped the tired from his eyes, but lit up when he saw the pot of coffee waiting for him. 

Soon he joined his daughter on the couch as they both mentally prepared for their day. When the clock started pushing towards the eight o'clock mark, they branched off to get dressed. Venus shut the door behind her as she went to pick out an outfit for the day, opting to keep the bright yellow sweater on, as she had grown a liking to it. She tied the laces to her green shoes, not caring that it really didn't match the rest of her outfit. 

Thea had told her to floo in at 8:09 sharp, so that the fireplace wouldn't be clogged when the others flooed in, so when that time came, she stuffed her bag with her friends presents, and went through the fireplace after saying a quick goodbye to her father. 

After a very quick journey through the fireplace, she found herself in Thea's living room, greeted by her smiling friend. "You don't know how much i missed you!" The blonde smiled, pulling her friend into a bone crushing hug. Even though Thea had stayed at school for the holidays, she was still able to come down to her home every time there was a Hogsmeade trip.

Sadly, her mother was still away on work, so there would be no fudge for Rosie to snack on when she got there. 

"I missed you, too! When is Rosie coming?" She asked, kicking off her shoes and setting them on the floor neatly. 

"Honestly, she's probably still asleep, but Peter should be here in a few minutes." Thea replied, leading Venus into the back room so she could set her bag down before the others got there. She laughed, knowing the girl was incredibly right in her assumption that Rosie was probably still sleeping. That girl could sleep through a hurricane without stirring. 

They had barely been able to start up a conversation before they heard Peter enter through the fireplace, and a crash. Running into the room, they found one Peter Pettigrew on the floor, up against the couch. "I'm not the most coordinated person." Was all he said. Thea didn't seem to mind that he had knocked her couch out of place, and instead laughed as she and Venus grabbed his hands and helped him up. 

"I brought snacks!" He laughed as be dug into his bag to reach the mix of wizard and muggle snacks he had packed. Venus pulled out a licorice wand that he offered her, not able to watch as Thea tore the head off of a chocolate frog. 

"Oh, sod off, its just chocolate." Thea groaned as she saw the grimace on her friends face. 

"It's just so realistic!" It probably took another hour until a very grumpy Rosie finally made her way through the fireplace.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Ro." Venus teased, ignoring the scowl that Rosie sent her. Even though it was well over nine in the morning, Rosie still wished to be back in her cozy bed, ignoring the world around her. 

"Ooh, snacks!" Her mood brightened slightly as she saw the pile of treats that Peter had brought them. 

"What did you guys do for Christmas?" Thea asked her friends, getting cozy on the couch with her legs sprawled out on Rosie's lap. 

"Me and my father volunteered on Christmas." Venus answered, recalling the experience of working at a local soup kitchen for Christmas. 

"Merlin, Venus, how am I supposed to follow that? All I did was listen to music and cry." Rosie said, stuffing her face with some popcorn that had been popped.

"Well why were you crying?" 

"Because I'm alone on Christmas!" She cried, wanting to stuff her face in a pillow dramatically. They all laughed lightly, ignoring the girl weeping into a pillow. 

"I spent Christmas with the boys. Don't tell anyone I told you this, but we spent the day watching muggle Disney films. James is a sucker for a wholesome cartoon." Peter giggled. 

Truth be told, Venus had thought about Remus over the break, but only a tad. Only because she needed to remember to give his jumper back to him, that was all. 

They continued to talk about their breaks, the good and the bad, until Rosie finally suggested exchanging gifts. The group excitedly reached into their own personal bags to pull out the presents they had gotten everyone. 

The fire in the background cracked and popped as the group of friends happily ripped open the wrapping paper. Venus had given Rosie a copy of Hamlet, Thea a new makeup set, and Peter some sweets along with a charmed pair of socks that were always dry and warm. 

Venus had received a new magical care book from Thea, a sweater from Peter, and a new quill set from Rosie. which she had been needing for a while. 

"Venus? Is that Remus's jumper?" Peter asked after exchanging gifts, just now realizing the bright sweater she had on was identical to the one Remus always wore. 

She looked down at the hoodie and blushed a bit, laughing it off. "Oh, yeah. Must have forgotten to give it back." She answered, knowing full well she could have owled him the sweater back but chose not to. 

"When did he give it to you?" Rosie asked, still munching om the sweets. 

"He was in the Three Broomsticks when I was working, and he knew I was cold." 

"So he offered you his jumper, how romantic." Thea playfully sighed, getting a nudge on the shoulder from Venus, trying to hide her blush. 

"Shove off, it's not like that." She laughed. "Come on, lets go play some board games!"

James sat on his bed gloomily, with Sirius on the edge of it, and Remus on the floor. "Why'd they have to go and take him?" 

Remus set the book down he was reading and sighed. "James, you have to get over the fact that Pete is gone. It's for one day." 

"I know but I miss him." He pouted, crossing his srms like a child. 

"Do you need a hug. Jamie?" Sirius asked with a matching pout. 

"No. I don't want anyones hugs but Peter's." 

"Okay. now you're just acting like an idiot." Remus laughed, using a pillow to smack James in the face, knocking his glasses off in the progress. 

"Don't start a war you can't finish, Moony!" James called, taking the pillow from the boy and whacking him over the head. 

"OOH destruction!" Sirius picked up a stray pillow and joined in, repeatedly hitting Remus with James. 

Eventually, Remus tripped and fell on the bed, calling truce. "Two against one is so unfair." 

"All is fair in love and war Rem-Rem." Sirius winked playfully. 

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" Remus sighed.

"When you stop obsessing over the Hufflepuff girl!" 

"Her name is Venus." 

"Right, Venice Lasagna, I know the one." 

James cracked up at Sirius's words, and as much as Remus tried not to, he cracked a smile. "Venice Lasagna?" 

"Yes, Venice Lasagna! Isn't she the brunette Hufflepuff girl, friends with Rosebush and The?" 

This time, Remus picked up a pillow and hit sirius so hsrd he fell back onto the floor, but not hard enough to hurt him of course. 

There was a comfortable silence in the room when James spoke up again. "I wonder what they're doing right now?" 

Venus and Rosie were on the floor crackimg up as Peter and Thea sang terribly to a muggle song called "I want to break free." Peter, being a half-blood, knew a lot of the words, but Thea was mumbling all the way through the song and then screaming the one line she did know. 

When they finished their duet, Venus clapped happily, partly because it was over, while Rosie booed and threw popcorn at them. Thea stuck her tongue out at the girl, taking her spot on the couch. 

"Personally, I think we were great." Peter said. 

"Oh definitely. Just you wait, you'll get a record deal in no time." Rosie laughed sarcastically, and this time Peter threw popcorn at her. 

"Now my hair is all buttery!" She fake complained, pulling the peices out of her tangled locks. 

"I hope you're planning on cleaning that up, Rose. My mom would have a fit if she came back to your mess." 

"Of course I'm planning on cleaning it up, who do you think I am." She answered sweetly, mouthing 'no way' to Venus and Peter once Thea turned away. 

The rest of the day went quick, much to the dismay of the group of four. Once the sun began to set, it dawned on all of them that they would have to be going home soon, as Thea had to go back to the castle before curfew. 

Thea had taken plenty of pictures throughout the day, never once leaving her camera in another room. She had a lot of fun today, and wanted to remember it until she was old and grey. 

Rosie was the first to leave, needing to go home before her father got upset. 

"Oh, Peter! Before I forget, I have gifts for the boys. Will you give it to them for me?" Venus askes the boy, opening her bag to bring out the neatly wrapped presents out. 

"You know they're going to feel bad that they didn't get you anything right?" Peter laughed, takimg the presents out of her hands.

"I don't mind. I was just at the shop and I thought of them." 

"Well I'll make sure to give it to them. Happy holidays!" He said to the girls before departing. 

Now it was only Venus and Thea, but neither wanted to go just yet. 

"I have to be back at Hogwarts in... 25 minutes." Thea said, checking the watch on her wrist. Venus sighed, knowing she had to leave now. "Tell you're dad I said happy holidays for me." She said, pulling her friend in a hug before she flooed away. 

Venus nodded, throwing the powder into the fireplace and returing to her house, welcoming the warm air from her living room. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, since her father was out somewhere. 

Aurora was no where to be found at the moment, so she was able to rest peacefully throughout the night without the little monster disturbing her.


	17. niflty niffler

Being back in the walls of Hogwarts never failed to turn Venus into the happiest girl in Scotland, though many would argue that she always is. 

Though her bed back at home was much more comfy, her dorm made her feel happy and safe. She was also happy to see Clare again. She gave Clare a new journal for Christmas the day they came back from break.

Clare played it off like it was nothing, like she did every year shen Venus bought her presents, but couldn't help but feel her heart swell at her dorm mates kindness. 

Keeping with the theme of gifts, Peter was right when he said the boys would feel bad for not getting Venus a gift after she bought them all something. 

Sirius had gotten a cool mirror that lets you talk to anyone who was holding the other peice. James had gotten a bag of harmless pranks and a copy of 'quidditch through the ages'. Finally, she had given Remus a new jumper along with some chocolates she had picked up from Diagon Alley. She even wrote a small note that said, 'to replace the one i stole.' 

When he received it, he tried not to let the wide grin on his cheeks show, but the boy's all saw and teased him relentlessly.

Now that the new semester had started, Venus was excited about getting back into charms class. It was no secret that Professor Flitwick had a soft spot for the girl, as she exceeded in his class and always brightened the energy of the dreary class. 

This morning was no different than all the others; she got up at the break of dawn, took a shower and went down into the common room to write some notes. Since first year when she stepped into the Hospital Wing for the fist time for some hygiene products, she was dissapointed at the lack of color and smiles in the room.

So, sometimes she would tear out a peice of colored paper and write stupid sayings on it to try and make people laugh. Sometimes, she would see the cards she spent a lot of time on get thrown in the garbage of the Hospital Wing, and while it hurt quite a bit, she never stopped. 

If these notes made someone smile while they were in pain, she would keep doing it. After all, all she ever wants to do is take away someone's pain, even for a second. 

Remus went to breakfast early, as his wolfish counter part was begging to get some food inside his body. He usually liked to walk down to breakfast with the boys, but there was no chance they would be getting up this early. 

He threw on the jumper that Venus had given him for Christmas. It was actually quite cozy, and he preffered this one to the yellow one that was still in the girl's possesion. 

He entered the Great Hall with one though on his mind: food. But that was quickly pushed towards the back of his brain when he locked eyes with her. He had just seen her last night at the feast, but for some reason she took his breath away just by smiling at him. 

She waved him over, as there was only a few people in the Great Hall at this time. He didn't hesitate to make his way over to the Hufflepuff table, filling his plate with bacon to fill Moony's cravings.

Venus fought back the grimace at the sight of the greasy food. She wasn't going to lecture Remus about her distaste towards meat. 

"That's a really nice Jumper, Remus. Where did you get it?" Venus teased once he had stopped shovelling food onto his plate. 

He laughed looking down at the material that covered his torso. "This really cool friend of mine gave it to me." He played along. 

"She must be really cool, that looks homemade." 

"If it's homemade, she is definitely the coolest person on the planet."

"Even cooler than Sirius?" She questioned. 

"Absolutely." They both laughed a bit, and Remus couldn't help but thank Merlin that he was able to hold a conversation with her for once. 

They ate in silence for a bit before Venus grew curious about the small box that was resting by the boy's thigh. 

"Oh, Right!" He remembered once she had pointed it out. "I got you a present, because i felt bad." 

She smiled at the thought. "You didn't need to get me anything just because you felt bad." She said honestly, playing with the wrapoing that surrounded her present. 

"I did it because I wanted to. Open it." He beamed, lifting the sleeves of the jumper over his hands as a nervous habit.

She tore at the poorly wrapped box, and lifted the box to see a book. It was a copy of Antigone translated into English, the same book they had talked about on their friend date.   
[a/n: i changed the book to antigone, becuase ive actually read that one haha]

She was touched that he had even remembered that small detail of their conversation, let alone actually get hwr the book. Lost for words, she leaned over to kiss his cheek as a thank you. 

He resisited the urge to blush, and instead just smiled. Remus said goodbye once he heard his loud friends finally wake and enter the Great Hall. Venus tucked the book under her leg, not wanting to get any food on the clean paper.

"Did you have a good holiday, Vee?" Nguyen asked as she walked up to the girl, taking Remus's previous spot. 

"I did! I actually meant to owl you, but i never asked for your address. How was Christmas with your parents?" Venus asked softly, knowing what her father thought about Nguyen's romantic interests.

"Surprisingly civil." She said, a little tense. "If you count passive aggressive remarks as civil." She joked. Venus reached ovwr and held the girl's hand in a friendly gesture. 

They sat in a comfortable silence waiting for more students to wake up and join them in the Great Hall. Eventually, Nguyen left to sit with the other Gryffindors and Rosie and Thea came down after their very long slumber. 

Rosie has not and never will be a morning person, so her behavior was nothing out of the ordinary: cranky and irritable. Venus decided to tone them out that morning and instead opened the thin covers of her book. It wasn't very long, but it was a classic that she was ready to divulge into. 

Reading always allowed Venus to enter worlds she had never known before, relate to characters she has never met, and experience feelings she had never felt. She lost her page when Thea elbowed her arm to signal it was time to go to. 

She walked with Thea down to Care of Magical Creatures with Clare walkimg idly behind them, seeing as Lily and Marlene were not in this class. She made a bit of small talk with her peers before the Professor showed up for class.

Professor Kettleburn was definitely an odd character. He often told outrageous stories about the encounters he had with the creatures, quickly getting off topic from the actual lecture portion of class. Though, Venus always loved the enthusiam he portrayed when recalling his time among the magical beings. It was the type of pure happiness she strived to have when she becomes a magizoologist. 

"Morning, class! It is so lovely to see all of your bright happy faces looking upon me today! After spending all break capturing pixies, its nice being around a more gentle crature for today." He made his way over to where there was a large cage-like box. "In here is our lesson for today. These are called nifflers. While cute and innocent as they seem, they will stop at almost nothing to steal anything shiny in sight. Hide any shiny objects, and come grab a niffler of your own." 

The entire class went to where the box was, and struggled to capture the little biggers. They moved quickly and swiftly, hoping to find someone with something that interested them. Venus reached down and grabbed one by the legs. She had read Mr. Scamander's report on nifflers a dozen times, so she hoped she was doing okay. 

Thea eventually caught one, albeit with thin scratches littering her face and arms. "Hate these nasty little weasels." She muttered in anger. "You would think they would be happy to get out of their bloody box." Her niffler was still fighting to get out of her grasp, making Thea curse under her breath more. 

"Am i doing this right?" Clare asked the brunette when her own niffler seemed to stop thrashing in her arms. Thea looked over at the calm creatures in her friend's arms and huffed. 

"Scratch his belly." Venus instructed, motioning towards the look of bliss on her nifflers face as she scratched.

"How d'you know its a he?" 

"His snout is slightly longer, and a lot thicker than her's." She answered, comparing Thea's niffler to her own. Thea rolled her eyes and scratched the belly of the hell- beast in front of her. He looked calm for a moment, but then reached his snout up and bit Thea's fingers, causing her to pull them back. 

"You have to be shitting me! You did that to mock me you little demon!" She yelled glaring at the sly looking niffler on her lap. 

The girl's anger subsided when she saw Professor Kettleburn behind her with a dissapointed look. She was definitely getting detention. 

After that unpleasant encounter with the niffler, Thea didn't have many more problems, other than the arrogant look that the creature was giving her everytime she got upset with him. Venus actually leaned over and helped Clare sketch out the outline of the creature. 

She took her hand out and let her niffler friend, Bee, as she called her, wrap her little hands around her finger. Venus smiled as Bee ran in a circle around her lap and used her snout to push the girl's face in a playful manner. 

"Can we please switch nifflers?" Thea begged Clare once Venus had refused. 

"I'd rather take a dragon on her period before I took that beast of yours." She smiled teasingly, seeing as her niffler was laying perfectly still in her lap while she continues to sketch. 

Thea's grip on her quill tightened once the creatures face morphed into what she could only assume was a smirk, causing it to snap under preassure. "If it wouldn't end in serious disciplinary action, just know I would fly to the top of the quidditch pitch and throw you through the hoops like a bloody quaffle." She threated him menacingly.

Needless to say, he was a saint for the rest of the class. Thea - 1, Niffler - 0.


	18. babbling baboon

"Let me guess. You're responsible for Severus's new hairdo?" Venus asked Peter when he walked into the library with a very tired looking Remus one afternoon. 

"How could you possibly suggest we were responsible for that? The boy questioned sarcastically, motioning towards himself and Remus. 

"At least tell me it wasn't unprovoked." 

The boys pulled out a chair and sat across from the Hufflepuff girl. "He hexed James in the courtyard yesterday, so of course James needed to go get him back for it." Remus added to the conversation, resting his head on the table.

"You're not going to lecture us, are you? I've got an exam in 20 minutes and I really don't have the time hear you blabber on about bad behavior. No offense." Peter smiled nervously when he thought he might of offended his close friend.

Venus gave him a teasing glare and thought for a moment. "Well if it really was provoked... I just think if you told a teacher they might be able to expel him or at least suspend him. Wouldn't that be better than continuing this feud that's lasted for years?"

"Clearly you haven't spent enough time with James. He's willing to let the feud last forever if it ends in him getting his Lily- flower." Remus laughed. James is not the type of guy to release a grudge. And he is definitely not the type of guy to let a teacher fight his battles for him.

Venus huffed, knowing that nothing she says would convince the boys to finally end their hatred for Severus and let a teacher deal with him. She wasn't an idiot, she knew he was beginning to dabble in Dark Magic. She knew since the moment Aurora attacked the boy on the train. After all, the purpose of a grigglypuff is to sniff out dark magic. 

It was only about noon. Venus had a free period so she decided to stay in the library while Peter went off to take his exam. "Shouldn't you be going off to class now, Remus?" She asked the boy as he made no motion to pack up and head to his next class.

"Probably, but I don't think I have it in me." He replied, feeling the early affects of the full moon begin to dawn on him. 

"You don't look so hot, Remus." She said worriedly as his eyes drooped a bit. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and take the longest nap. She pressed her hand to the boy's forehead, only for her palm to practically melt at the temperature. "You're running a fever. Do you need to me to take you to the hospital wing?" 

He shook his head no quickly. The last thing he wanted was to go back to the Hospital Wing when he already spends a lot of his time in there. "I want to go to bed." He whined, not caring at the moment about how much of a baby he probably seemed. 

Venus didn't seem to mind his childish behavior as she collected her books into her bag and threw it over her shoulder. "Come on, Remus. I'm taking you to your dorms" She said, helping the exhausted boy to hid feet and looping an arm around his waist to keep him stable.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Nessie." He said with closed eyes, a smile on his face as he shuffled his feet down the corridor. 

"Only my brother calls me that." She laughed, wondering how he even knew about that nickname. Most people either called her Vee, or Legna. 

"Can I not call you that than?" 

"Call me whatever you would like Remus." she answered with smile, taking his arm and wrapping it over her shoulder as he lost his balance a little bit. He looks like he hasn't slept well in a while. 

Venus didn't want to pry, and she wouldn't ask if he wasn't comfortable with telling her, but she was really worried about him. He spent so much time in the hospital wing, comes to class with scars and bruises. Not to mention his states of deliria like the one he was currently in.

'How about I call you mine?' Remus laughed at the thought of actually saying that to her. 

She looked over to him, wanting to push the hair out of his face but her hands were preoccupied. "What are you laughing at?" She giggled at the delirious boy.

"Just something Moony said." 

Venus wasn't sure who Moony was or what he said. In fact, she could have sworn she had heard Peter call him Moony once. She shook the thought, knowing that in this state the boy would probably say anything. 

They arrived at the portrait hole for the Gryffindor common room. "Do you know the password?" She asked. 

"Uh... mandrake?" He offered, but that wasn't it. How was she supposed to get him in the common room if she didn't know the password. 

She debated waiting for someone to walk out of the portrait hole, but that could be a while since it's class time. Besides, she didn't know if Remus would make it that long before passing out. 

Suddenly she had a thought. Surely not... "Godric?" The portrait opened up, revealing the inside of the common room. "Gryffindors and their egos." 

She guided Remus into the room that was gorgeously decorated with red and gold banners. The fire brought a warm glow the at coated the entire room with a feeling of home and safety. She looked around, enchanted with everything in the room. but what really caught her eye was the sight of two people kissing on the couches.

"Hanna! Blech!" Venus wanted to hurl at the sight of her sister kissing another Seventh year boy. The boy quickly scurried away, leaving Hanna alone on the couch. 

Hanna huffed as the boy ran. "Thanks for scaring him away." She said sarcastically. "What are you doing here anyway?" 

"I'm putting Remus to bed, he isn't feeling too well." At the mention of his name, Remus popped his head up. 

"Hullo, Hanna! You know, my friend Sirius has an enormous crush on you. Like massive. Talks about you basically all the ti-" He shut up when Venus jabbed his side. Hanna lifted an eyebrow and laughed. 

"Right. Well thank you for ruining my night since Ben probably won't want to come to my room later anymore." Venus didn't even want to know why Ben would be going to her room later. 

"You shouldn't be going out with a guy that runs from you, Hanna." 

The older Gryffindor girl scoffed. "I love you, Venus, but sometimes its hard to believe we came from the same womb. Have fun with your drunk friend." 

She wanted to say something, but Hanna left. Venus didn't know whether or not to be offended by her sister's comment, so she ignored it for now. What was so wrong with wanting her sister to be with a guy that was proud of her? 

She guided the boy up the stairs which turned out to be very difficult when he could barely walk on a horizontal level. "This was not a good idea." She muttered to herself as she started to sweat from trying to get the boy up the stairs considering he was at least ten inches taller than her. 

When she finally got him to the top of the steps, she let out a sigh of relief. When she found his dorm, she set him on the bed that seemed the cleanest. To be fair, none of the beds were really neat, but she knew Remus wasn't a total slob. 

He kicked off his shoes and climbed under his blankets. "Thank you." He muttered with a tiny smile and closed eyes. 

He quickly passed out, probably from lack of sleep mixed with his fever making him so exhausted. She finally pushed the hair from his face so that it wasnt hanging down into his eyes. 

She looked down at her watch, knowing she would have to get to her next class in about half an hour. She glanced at the boy sleeping in his bed and took a seat on the floor beside him. There would be no point walking all the way back to the library if she would just have to walk all the way back up. 

She pulled out her copy of Antigone and began to read, enjoying the way Antigone didn't let the king scare her into submission.

She was her own person. 

She didn't even remember closing her eyes, but when she opened them, three marauders were staring above her, making her scream in fright.

"My god, you are loud!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping back.

"Maybe you shouldn't just silently stand over me than!" She took a breath in, trying to steady her heartbeat. In the midst of all the yelling, a very grumpy Remus lifted his head off of his pillow. He quickly rubbed it when he felt a pounding against his skull.

"What are you doing in our dorm?" James asked once the girl calmed down a bit. 

"I brought Remus up here since he didn't feel so good. Must have fallen asleep. I'll be on my way." She quickly answered, wanting to leave the boy's dormitory as quick as possible. 

Remus muttered a thank you to the girl before she left, and plopped his head back onto his pillow to ease his headache when the door closed. 

"So... sleeping with Legna, eh?" Sirius's question went unanswered when three different pillows hit him across the face at the same time. "Okay, message received." 

"What time is it?" Remus asked, as it was barely noon when he had went to sleep. James told him it was nearing three in the afternoon, making the boy sigh. If he's slept for three hours, there's no way he'd be able to sleep tonight. "Did you get detention for what you pulled on Snape?"

"Next Thursday." The Potter boy answered simply, stealing a chocolate bar from Peter's stash and unwrapping it. Remus stole a piece of it and pulled his head back under the covers. "You alright, mate?"

Remus's head was killing him. "Headache." He said, wanting to stop the pounding in his skull. 

James offered to kick everyone else out of the room. Of course, Remus denied, not wanting to make the boy's get out of their own dorm. James did so anyway, knowing his friend would never actually ask them to leave. 

When he lifted his head out of the safety of his blankets, he saw the half eaten chocolate bar next to his table and tore another piece off of it, replaying the day over in his head.

He smiled at the memory of Venus helping him to his room. Even though he was sure he acted like a total idiot, she still helped him and took care of him. He noticed she even left her book on the floor in her haste to leave. He should probably return that to her, but for the time being, he decided to go back to sleep.

1857 words   
unedited


End file.
